Work On India's First Vertical Lift Railway Sea Bridge To Be Completed By March 2022: Report

The dual-track state-of-the-art New Pambam Bridge in Tamil Nadu, touted as India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge, could be completed by March 2022.

This bridge will replace the existing century-old iconic British structure between Pamban and Rameswaram.

"New Pamban Bridge: An engineering marvel! This dual-track state-of-the-art bridge will be the country's first Vertical Lift Railway Sea Bridge and is expected to be completed by March 2022," the Ministry of Railways tweeted.

The 2.07 kilometres long bridge will be used by devotees who take off on a spiritual tour to Rameswaram and Dhanushkoi in Tamil Nadu.

The new bridge is anticipated to provide a boost to the tourism in the region, specifically for pilgrimage purposes given that numerous devotees visit the Rameshwaram Temple and Jyotirling annually.

The Railway Vikas Nigam Limited is developing this vertical lift rail sea bridge. The existing bridge is 2,058 metres long. It has been used for more than a hundred years and has been non-operational for the past few years.

The new bridge will have a 63-metre stretch that will lift while remaining parallel to the deck allowing access to the ships. It will have 100 spans of 18.3 metres and one navigational span of 63 metres. The new bridge would have 101 piers with a vertical lift facility to open and close the middle portion to allow passage of ships and steamers.

It will be armed with an electro-mechanical controlled system and will be interlocked with the train control systems that give seamless system connectivity, the Financial Express reports.