A video on the new Pamban vertical lift railway bridge being constructed in Rameshwaram
A video on the new Pamban vertical lift railway bridge being constructed in Rameshwaram
The railway sea bridge at Pamban in Tamil Nadu is one of the most spectacular sights in the country and an engineering marvel
Now, travel between mainland Tamil Nadu to the island of Rameshwaram is set to get even better with a new bridge, India’s first vertical lift railway bridge
The new bridge, that stretches for 2.05 kilometers, will connect Mandapam town in mainland India to Pamban island and Rameshwaram
It will have a 63-metre stretch, which will lift up while remaining parallel to the deck to allow ships to pass through
It is being constructed by Indian Railways for ₹250 crores and officials say it is likely to be ready by this year.
The old Pamban bridge was commissioned in 1914. It has survived many cyclones and calamities.
It functioned with a horizontal lift. It works based on the ‘Scherzer’ rolling lift technology.
The vertical clearance between the high tide level and the bottom girder is 1.5 meters. This causes water to splash on the girder.
The new bridge on the other hand is expected to have a clearance of 22.0 meters above sea level.
Unlike the old manual bridge, sensors will be deployed for the lift in the new bridge.
The new vertical lift bridge will help operate trains at a higher speed.
They will also be able to carry more weight and increase the traffic between Pamban and Rameshwaram.
