India's FIRST vertical lift Railway Sea Bridge nears completion; Check pics here

Indian Railways has been working on increasing connectivity to remote areas by building railway links. The organisation recently completed its work on the world's highest railway bridge in Kashmir and is now nearing completion of another first-of-its-kind project. Specifically, the Indian Railways has completed 81 percent work on the Pamban Bridge connecting Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi rail links in Tamil Nadu. This is India's first vertical lift railway bridge. The bridge will facilitate railways in carrying more weight with increased speed and volume of traffic on the route after completion. In addition, with the benefit of height, the bridge will also allow ships and streamers to pass through.

Sharing the update on Twitter, the Ministry of Railways said, "India's 1st vertical lift Railway Sea Bridge- Pamban Bridge connecting the mainland of India with Rameswaram Island." While adding the updates, the ministry said, "81 percent work completed, All 333 piles completed, Pile cap and sub-structure: All 101 completed, 76 out of 99 girders launched." It is to be noted that there are also multiple pictures of the project in the tweet.

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The new Pamban Bridge is anticipated to be operational in March of next year. The Indian Railways, however, has not provided a precise timetable for when the bridge's construction will be finished.

India's 1st vertical lift Railway Sea Bridge- Pamban Bridge connecting the mainland of India with Rameswaram Island.

81% work completed
Piling Work: All 333 piles completed
Pile cap & Sub-Structure: All 101 completed
76 out of 99 girders launched pic.twitter.com/rJs3KG1SWd

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 25, 2022

The bridge will cost about Rs 250 crores. A 63-meter section of the bridge's more than 2 KM-long lengths will lift up while still being parallel to the deck to give access to the ships. The bridge is 6,776 feet (2,065 m) long and 12.5 metres above sea level. Two ships will be able to cross this bridge simultaneously thanks to its planned automobile construction.

In a statement to ANI, the General Manager of Southern Railway said, "The old Pamban bridge was commissioned on February 24, 1914. So, almost 108 years passed, and now the time has come to move forward with new technologies. The estimated cost of the new bridge is ₹250 crore and the target is to complete it this year only."