Rameswaram: A rehearsal to coordinate the movement of ships and trains was conducted at the New Pamban Bridge that connects the Indian mainland to Rameswaram Island. The bridge – the first vertical lift bridge in Asia – will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 6, when the country celebrates Ram Navami.
Officials from Indian Railways, Indian Coast Guard, the state administration and the police were present during the rehearsal. When the mid-portion of the new bridge was lifted, the old Pamban Bridge with the ‘Scherzher Span’ also had to be opened to allow a Coast Guard vessel to pass underneath.
“The rehearsal included opening and raising of the old and new Pamban Bridges to synchronise the timings, and after allowing the Coast Guard ship to pass, the sections were lowered. All the processes were timed. After the lift span of the new bridge was lowered, a train was operated from the Pamban end to Mandapam end and another one from the Mandapam-end crossed to Pamban to verify the timings. The trials were successful,” an official said.
The 2.5 km long New Pamban Bridge will allow trains to cross in less than five minutes. Trains would take 25-30 minutes to cross the old bridge that was built in 1914. This bridge had to be closed in 2022 due to excessive corrosion.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety has approved a speed limit of 75 km per hour for the New Pamban Bridge. However, the stipulated speed for the lift span is 50 km per hour. The lift span cannot be operated when the wind velocity is 58 km per hour or more. This happens at times between October and February.
