PAMBAN BRIDGE

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Context

• The new Pamban bridge is India’s first vertical lift railway bridge over sea and it makes for a stunning sight.
• Connecting Rameswaram on the Pamban island to Mandapam on the mainland, it is likely to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in a few months’ time.

About

• It is India’s first vertical-lift railway sea bridge.
• It connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to Mandapam on the mainland in Tamil Nadu.
• Bridge Length: The total length of the bridge is 078 km.
• It will have 99 spans with 18.3-meter-long girders.
• The navigational span will be 63 meters.
• It will replace the iconic Pamban Bridge, India's first sea bridge, which opened in 1914.
• The new bridge is being built parallel to the old Pamban Bridge by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.

Features:

• The most unique feature of the new Pamban Bridge is its vertical lift facility.
• It will help boats pass under the bridge smoothly.
• While the old 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.
• The vertical lift span will have electromechanical control interlocked with the train control system.
• To allow for shipping traffic to pass under the vertical lift section of the bridge, rail traffic would be stopped.
• The navigational span would move up vertically to create enough height for boats to pass.
• It will allow a full horizontal length of 72.5 meters for navigation.
• While the new Pamban Bridge is 3 meters higher than the old bridge, it also has a navigational air clearance of 22 meters above mean sea level.
• It has been designed for a double railway line and future electrification as well.

About Pamban Island

• It is located between India and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar and in the Ramanathapuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu.
• It is the largest island in Tamil Nadu by area.
• The principal town on the island is the pilgrimage center of Rameswaram.
• It is also known as Rameswaram Island.
• Most of Pamban Island is covered with white sand.
• The chain formed by Pamban Island, the shoals of Adam’s Bridge, and Mannar Island of Sri Lanka separate Palk Bay and the Palk Strait in the northeast from the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest.
• Pamban Island extends for around 30 kilometers in width from the township of Pamban in the west to the remains of Dhanushkodi towards the southeast.
• Most of Pamban Island is covered with white sand and hence is not suitable for cultivation.
• Coconut and palm trees are found in abundance along with fig and eucalyptus plants.
• Scrubs and rushes are found in abundance all along the seashore.

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