New Pambon Bridge has an estimated lifetime of 100 years
The original Pambon Bridge was built across the Palk Strait at Ramameswaram, India is ready to start a state -of -the -art replacement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country’s first vertical -Lift C Bridge – New Pambon Bridge – in Tamil Nadu on Sunday. Located in Ramanathapuram district, the bridge connects Rameswaram Island to the mainland with Mandapam.
India’s engineering Marvel is here!
The new Pamban Rail Bridge is India’s first vertical lift C Bridge!
🌉 It is 17 meters high in just 5 minutes for uninterrupted maritime navigation
🚆 Rameswaram and mainland strengthens connectivity between India
✨ Rapid, enables smooth rails … pic.twitter.com/wu2iesmlb5– Mygovindia (@mygovindia) April 5, 2025
About all new Pamban Bridge
- The new Pambon Bridge is 2.07 km long and spread across the pock straight in Tamil Nadu.
- It has a 72.5-meter navigational span, which can be raised vertically up to 17 meters, allowing ships to safely pass down.
- The substructure can support the two railway tracks, although it currently operates a line. It combines the Pamban (Rameswaram) island with mandapam on the mainland.
- The bridge is cleaned up to 80 km per hour for the speed of the train and is designed to handle increased rail traffic and heavy loads.
- Manufactured by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a Navratna PSU, the bridge under the Ministry of Railways is worth about Rs 550 crore.
- With an estimated lifetime of 100 years, the bridge is constructed with special engineering techniques that reduce the need for frequent maintenance.
- It uses stainless steel reinforcement, fully welded joints, high-grade protective paint and a polysiloxen coating to protect it from rust in rigid sea environment.
- The new bridge is built 3 meters high compared to the old, which provides better maritime withdrawal for sea traffic.
- The lift span girder was assembled using the “Relationship Principle Auto Launching Method” and verified by IIT Madras.
- The workers portrayed and inspected the girder segment offsome, rushed them to the pambon by truck, and assembled them using the EOT crane on a temporary platform. Engineers used PAUT (phased array ultrasonic test) to check accurate welding.
- The bridge is being compared to famous people such as Golden Gate Bridge in USA, Tower Bridge in UK, and its modern design and technology between Denmark and Sweden.
The original Pamban Bridge manufactured by British engineers in 1914 manually used the duration of the Schezer (a type of rolling lift bridge). It had a 61-meter truss that lifted up to 81 degrees for ship movement. The bridge has been closed for rail traffic due to security concerns.
