Pamban Bridge – 21o Tech

The Pamban Bridge in Tamil Nadu, India, is a historic railway bridge connecting the mainland to Rameswaram, famous as India’s first sea bridge, with a newer, modern vertical-lift version now operational alongside it, featuring an automated span that lifts for ships, enhancing connectivity and pilgrimage to the sacred island. The new bridge, built to replace the aging original, incorporates advanced technology for safer, faster, and more efficient operation, serving both trains and vessels crossing the Palk Strait.

Key Features:

Location: Connects Mandapam (mainland) to Rameswaram (Pamban Island) across the Palk Strait.
Original Bridge (Opened 1914): A feat of engineering for its time, it featured a double-leaf bascule (movable) section for ships, but faced challenges from harsh marine conditions.
New Bridge (Opened 2025):
- Vertical Lift: India’s first vertical lift sea bridge, with a 72.5-meter central span that rises automatically for ships.
- Length: Approximately 2.07 km long.
- Technology: Electromechanical system for lifting, stainless steel, and marine-resistant coatings for durability.
- Purpose: Replaces the old bridge, addressing corrosion and operational issues, and boosts tourism and pilgrimage.

Pamban Bridge (Tamil: [paːmbɐn], romanised: pāmban) was a railway bridge that connected the town of Rameswaram on Pamban Island to Mandapam on mainland India. Opened on 24 February 1914, it was India’s first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India until the opening of the Bandra–Worli Sea Link in 2010. It was a conventional bridge resting on concrete piers with a double-leaf bascule section midway, which could be raised to let ships and barges pass through.

Pamban Bridge
A train on the Pamban bridge in 2016
Coordinates	9°16′57.25″N79°12′5.91″E
Carries	Rail
Locale	Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Owner	Indian Railways
Characteristics
Total length	2,065 metres (6,775 ft)
No. of spans	144
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks	1
Track gauge	Broad gauge
Electrified	Rigid Overhead Catenary System
History
Construction start	August 1911
Construction end	February 1914
Opened	24 February 1914
Closed	23 December 2022
Replaced by	New Pamban Bridge
Statistics
Daily traffic	Suspended
Location
Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap Interactive map of Pamban Bridge

The Pamban bridge was the only surface transport link that connected Rameswaram to the mainland India until 1988, when a road bridge was constructed parallel to the railway bridge. In 2020, construction of a new bridge closer to the existing one began which was planned to eventually replace the existing bridge. In Dece

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