# New Pamban Bridge

The New Pamban Bridge (pronounced: /pɑːmbən/ romanised: pāmban) is a railway bridge that will connect 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. It spans a length of 2.07 km (1.29 mi) and includes a 72 m (236 ft) vertical lifting section. It is the first vertical lift sea bridge in India and is expected to be opened for traffic in 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 ₹25 crore (US$2.9 million) 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 ₹5 billion (US$58 million). The construction contract was awarded to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. The foundation stone for the new bridge was laid by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019 and the construction commenced in February 2020. The new bridge is constructed parallel to the old bridge and spans a length of 2.07 km (1.29 mi). It has a bascule section of about 72 m (236 ft) which can be lifted vertically using a Scherzer rolling lift trunnion and is the first vertical lift sea bridge in India. It has 99 spans of 18.3 m (60 ft) length to go along with the vertical lifting span. It is situated about 12.5 m (41 ft) above sea level, which is about 3 m (9.8 ft) higher than the old bridge. The vertical lifting span would be used to raise the central span of the bridge to allow ships of up to 22 m (72 ft) height to pass through. The bridge is planned to carry a double track railway.
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 (CRS). In late November, the CRS permitted operation of trains at a maximum speed of 75 km/h (47 mph) with the speed further limited to 50 km/h (31 mph) on the lifting bascule section. However, the CRS highlighted several concerns and discrepancies in the construction of the bridge such as the non standard design 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.