The construction work on the new 2.05 km Pamban railway bridge which will connect Rameswaram island to the mainland in Tamil Nadu has been speeded up and with 84% of the construction work already done the bridge is expected to be thrown open to traffic in March 2023, the Railway Ministry said today.

The state-of-the-art bridge is the country’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge and is being constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) with an investment of Rs 535 crores.

The bridge will allow the Indian Railways to operate trains at a higher speed. It will also increase traffic between the mainland of India and Rameswaram island.

Sub structure work has been completed fully which includes 333 Piles and 101 Pile caps. Fabrication of all 99 approach spans completed, out of which 76 girders have been launched. Fabrication of Vertical Lift Span girder is nearing completion. Assembling Platform for Vertical Lift Span on Rameswaram end of bridge is getting ready. Track laying work is in progress, according to the Railway Ministry statement.

The existing Pamban Rail Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to mainland India, is 105 years old. The original bridge was built in 1914 to connect Mandapam to the Rameswaram island situated in the Gulf of Mannar. It was the only link connecting the two locations until a new road bridge was built parallel to the sea link in 1988.