New Pamban Bridge
The New Pamban Bridge is a vertical lift railway sea bridge that connects the town of Mandapam in mainland India with Rameswaram on Pamban Island. The new bridge is constructed parallel to the old Pamban Bridge opened in 1914 and was planned to replace the same. The bridge stretches across a length of and is the first vertical lift sea bridge in India. It consists of 100 spans including a vertical lifting central section. The construction of the bridge was completed in 2024 and the bridge was opened for traffic in April 2025.
Background
The old Pamban Bridge was opened in February 1914 and carried rail traffic between Rameshwaram in Pamban Island and mainland India. The bridge underwent several overhauls over the years to extend its lifespan. The bridge was damaged in an accident in 2013 and the Ministry of Railways planned to invest to upgrade the bridge in 2016. In December 2018, fissures developed on the bridge, which halted railway traffic and the Government of India considered building a replacement bridge. In December 2022, rail transportation on the old bridge was suspended permanently as the bascule section had weakened significantly due to corrosion.Planning and construction
In 2020, Government of India announced that a new railway bridge will be constructed near the old Pamban Bridge at a cost of. The construction contract was awarded to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. The foundation stone for the new bridge was laid by prime minister Narendra Modi in November 2019 and the construction commenced in February 2020.The construction of the pillars and spans for a single track was completed in September 2024 with trial runs conducted in October 2024. The bridge was expected to be opened for traffic by late 2024 post the approval of the Commission of Railway Safety. In late November, the CRS permitted operation of trains at a maximum speed of with the speed further limited to on the lifting bascule section. However, the CRS highlighted several concerns and discrepancies in the construction of the bridge such as the usage of non standard designs that are not approved by the Research Design and Standards Organisation, deviation from standard welding procedures that reduced the stress carrying capacity by 36% and insufficient addressing of corrosion. In response, the Southern Railway clarified that the bridge was designed by the Spanish consultancy Técnica y Proyectos S.A. according to European and Indian design codes and was proof checked by experts from IIT Madras and IIT Bombay.
In January-February 2025, further trials were conducted with simultaneous lifting of the bascule sections of the old and the new bridges, and the running of train rakes. In March 2025, final trials and rehearsals were conducted prior to the opening of the bridge for traffic. The bridge was opened for traffic on 6 April 2025 by the Indian prime minister.