The new Pamban Bridge, scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, on April 6, is deemed safe for train operations at speeds of up to 80 kmph for the next 100 years, according to the director of the public sector enterprise responsible for its construction.
MP Singh, the director of operations at Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and a member of the Expert Committee formed last November to address safety concerns, stated that the panel conducted a comprehensive review of all aspects related to the safety of this iconic bridge.
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“The committee has concluded that the bridge is structurally safe to operate trains at 80 kmph for 100 years,” he said, as reported by PTI.
In January, a document shared by Southern Railway said that the “robust surface protection system against corrosion can extend the bridge’s lifespan to 38 years without maintenance and up to 58 years with minimal maintenance”.
Pamban Bridge: All you need to know
RVNL is responsible for planning, designing, execution and commissioning of this iconic bridge.
“Though the bridge is safe to operate trains at 160 kmph, due to a curvature in its alignment towards the Rameshwaram end, the speed has been safely fixed at 80 kmph,” Singh told PTI, adding that every aspect of the bridge underwent intense scrutiny after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) flagged some concern on its design and fatigue.
In November 2024, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had formed a high-level committee of five members consisting of principal executive directors from the Railway Board (Bridges) and Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), chief bridge engineer from Southern Railway and the RVNL director, along with an external expert from IIT-Roorkee.
The committee was assigned to look into the safety concerns of CRS, who had flagged issues such as faults in alignment, lack of anti-corrosion measures, flaws in the signalling system among others, imposing a speed restriction of 50 kmph.
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“The committee deliberated on the adequacy of the design of the bridge and all other points of concern and found that they as per relevant provisions,” Singh said, adding that the bridge has the fatigue for annual traffic of 50 GMT (Gross Million Tonnes) and a design life of 100 years.
According to him, the vertical lift span, the most iconic structure that will rise to a height of 17 m for ships to pass under it, strictly follows the Indian and Euro Codes duly assessed for fatigue.
Singh also mentioned that IIT Bombay and IIT Madras were also involved in the vetting of designs.
“The panel even looked at welding of joints and found that it was done by competent welders. Further, Independent weld checking has been done by Welding Research Institute, Trichy controlled by BHEL,” he said.
“For two years, from 2017 to 2019, a team of our experts visited the UK, the USA and a couple of other European countries only to study the global practice in the existing moveable bridges and decide a suitable design and structure for Pamban,” Singh said, adding that after examining global practices the RVNL started the construction in December 2019.
The old bridge, built and commissioned by the British in 1914, remained operational for train services until December 23, 2022, marking over 108 years of service despite enduring highly corrosive conditions and unpredictable weather.
It is built at a cost of over ₹550 crore, featuring a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres.
The Railways has highlighted that the new bridge, connecting Rameswaram to the mainland, is a remarkable achievement in Indian engineering, showcasing its capabilities on the global stage.
“It is built at a cost of over ₹550 crore. It is 2.08 km in length, features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of larger ships while ensuring seamless train operations,” the ministry said.
The bridge is structurally safe to operate trains at 80 kmph for 100 years.
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