Rapid Fire
New Pamban Bridge
- 12 Apr 2025
- 2 min read
The Prime Minister inaugurated India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge, the new Pamban Bridge, enhancing connectivity between Rameswaram and mainland India.
- It is designed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) under the Ministry of Railways, and is built to last over 100 years.
- It spans 2.07 km across the Palk Strait, replacing the 1914 Pamban Bridge which was a cantilever structure with a Scherzer Rolling Lift span.
- It features a 72.5-meter vertical lift span that rises 17 meters to allow ship passage.
- Designed for double tracks, it supports heavier, faster trains and smooth rail-maritime coordination.
- It joins globally recognized bridges like the Golden Gate (USA), Tower (UK), and Oresund (connect Denmark and Sweden) bridges.
- It has been built to withstand turbulent waters, cyclones, and seismic activity.
- During the 1964 tsunami, a passenger train was swept away from the old Pamban Bridge, although the bridge itself withstood the disaster.
- The construction of the old Pamban Bridge started in 1911 and was opened to traffic in 1914. It was India’s first sea bridge, built for trade.
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