New Delhi: The re-construction work on the new 2.05 km Pamban railway bridge, which will connect Rameswaram island to the mainland in Tamil Nadu has gathered pace. Till Date, 84% of the construction work has been completed.
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The new bridge is set to replace the iconic Pamban bridge-India’s first sea bridge, which was opened in 1914.
Sub structure work has been fully complete, which includes laying of 333 piles and 101 pile caps. Fabrication of all 99 approach spans completed, out of which 76 girders have been launched. Fabrication of vertical lift span girder is nearing completion. Assembling platform for vertical lift span on Rameswaram end of bridge is getting ready. Track laying work is also going on.
This state-of-the-art bridge will be the country’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge and is expected to be completed by March 2023.
The sea bridge is being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) at a cost of ₹535 crores. The bridge will allow the Indian Railways to operate trains at a higher speed. It will also increase traffic between the mainland of India and Rameswaram island.
The existing Pamban Rail Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to mainland India, is 105 years old. The original bridge was built in 1914 to connect Mandapam to the Rameswaram island situated in the Gulf of Mannar. It was the only link connecting the two locations until a new road bridge was built parallel to the sea link in 1988.
According to RVKL, the work on the bridge started in February 2020 and was estimated to be completed by December last year. The peculiarity of the new bridge is its 72-metre-long vertical lift span, which can be lifted by 17 metres to allow the ships to pass below it.
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While the current bridge has the ‘Scherzer’ rolling lift technology in which the bridge opens up horizontally, to let ships pass through, the new bridge will lift vertically upwards remaining parallel to the deck. It will be done using sensors at each end.
- 84% work completed
- Piling work: All 333 Piles completed
- Pile cap and sub-structure: All 101 completed
- Fabrication of all 99 approach spans completed
- 76 girders have been launched
- Track laying work is in progress
- Fabrication of vertical lift span girder is nearing completion
- Assembling platform for vertical lift span on Rameswaram end of bridge is getting ready
