PM inaugurates new Pamban Bridge in Rameswaram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated Asia’s first vertical lift span railway bridge (new Pamban Bridge) in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. The foundation of the 2.08 km long bridge was laid by PM Modi in November 2019.
The bridge connects Rameswaram (Pamban Island) to Mandapam in mainland Tamil Nadu, India. Prime Minister Modi himself laid its foundation in November 2019. Keeping the future in mind, it has been designed for double track and high-speed trains.
The new bridge made of steel has been coated with polysiloxane, which will protect it from rust and sea salt water. The old bridge was closed in 2022 due to rusting. Since then the rail connectivity between Rameswaram and Mandapam was lost.
According to Ramayana, the construction of Ram Setu started from Dhanushkodi near Rameswaram. Because of this, it is also important from the point of view of faith. Apart from this, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various rail and road projects worth more than Rs 8300 crore in Tamil Nadu.
The bridge rises in 5 minutes
The new Pamban Bridge is made up of 100 spans. When a ship has to pass, the center span of this navigation bridge (section that opens for ships) rises.
It works on an electro-mechanical system. Because of this, its center span can rise up to 22 meters in just 5 minutes. Only one person will be needed for this. On the other hand, the old bridge was a cantilever bridge. It was opened manually through a lever, which required 14 people.
However, when the speed of the sea breeze reaches 58 km per hour or more, the vertical system will not work and an automatic red signal will be given. Train movement will remain closed until the wind speed becomes normal. This often happens between October and February. Strong winds blow during these months.
