New Pamban bridge an engineering wonder : PM

Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the new Pamban railway bridge, which connects the Rameswaram island off the Tamil Nadu coast with Ramanathapuram on the mainland.

• Constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. at ₹531 crore, the 2.08-km bridge over the Palk Strait features a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that can be raised to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth ship movement underneath while improving rail connectivity.

• The new bridge will replace the century-old original Pamban Bridge and is considered an engineering marvel with the tag of becoming India’s First Vertical Lift Railway Sea Bridge. Built with stainless steel reinforcements and Polysiloxane Paint (to prevent corrosion), the bridge is designed to withstand harsh marine conditions.

• Its expected lifespan is up to 58 years. It has an automated electro-mechanical lift system, which will help the bridge rise to 17 meters, allowing smooth ship passage.

• The new bridge has been built parallel to the old Pamban Bridge, India’s first sea bridge which was opened in 1914. The new bridge will replace the old structure.

• The Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) has built the 2.10-km-long bridge. The new sea bridge is the country’s first ‘vertical lift span’ bridge, featuring a ‘vertical lift span’ of 72.5 metres in the middle, which can lift upwards upwards 17 metres in 5 minutes, 30 seconds to allow ships to pass under it.

• The old bridge, on the other hand, was a cantilever bridge. It was opened manually, requiring 14 people for its operation. In contrast, the new bridge is fully automatic.