PM Modi To Inaugurate New Pamban Bridge | 10 Key Details About ‘Modern Engineering Marvel'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Pamban Bridge on April 6. The bridge will become functional by the end of April 2025. 

The new Pamban Bridge is set to replace the old bridge, built in 1914, which was shut down in 2022 because of corrosion problems. 

10 Key Details of New Pamban Bridge 

• The New Pamban Bridge is India’s first vertical lift rail bridge
• It is stretched over 2.10 kms
• Will link Mandapam on the mainland to Rameswaram on Pamban Island
• Its modern vertical lift design allows a 72.5-meter-long span to be raised for ships
• Pamban bridge is designed for trains to travel up to 75 km/h
• It has air clearance of 22 meters to prevent seawater damage
• Built by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for Rs 535 crore
• Designed to last 38-58 years with minimal maintenance 
• Will carry 17 daily train movements
• Double track, electrification-ready

(Pamban Bridge built in 1914)

Know More About Pamban Bridge 

The Pamban Rail Bridge, India's first cantilever bridge, connects Rameswaram to the mainland. It is also the country's first sea bridge, built in Tamil Nadu, with its mainland end located at Pamban. 

Stretching 2.06 km, it is the second-longest sea bridge in India, after the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The bridge was specially designed to allow ships to pass underneath.

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Opened on 25 February 1914, it was constructed to improve rail connectivity to Rameswaram. Building the bridge posed significant challenges due to its location in one of the world's most corrosive marine environments. 

The bridge survived the devastating 1964 cyclonic storm, which affected many areas, and within just 45 days, railway engineers had restored it, resuming its services.