CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Pamban Bridge, India's first vertical lift rail bridge over the sea connecting Ramanathapuram Mandapam with Rameswaram. The Prime Minister flagged off the new train service from Rameswaram to Tambaram. After the train passed, the lift span of the bridge was raised, and a Coast Guard boat was allowed to pass under it.

The 110-year-old bridge connecting Rameswaram to the rest of India was reconstructed following fear of corrosion and safety concerns. The bridge, with 99 pillars, is 2.08 km long. The new one replaces the Pamban Bridge, a monument to the devastation of the 1964 cyclone, which turned Dhanushkodi into a ghost town by taking the lives of 115 train passengers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new bridge in November 2019. The construction carried out by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited began in February 2020 but was delayed due to COVID-19.

And now, trains, including the Amrita Express, will be extended to Rameswaram. The announcement of new train services will also be made on Sunday. The bridge will also be a blessing for pilgrims visiting Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi.

► Trains can travel at speeds of up to 75 km/h on the bridge. It was just 10 km/h on the old bridge.

►The bridge can be raised and lowered rapidly using an electromechanical vertical lift. It takes 3 minutes to raise and 2 minutes to lower.

►If larger ships arrive, the new Pamban Bridge can be raised to 22 meters above sea level. The old bridge was only 1.5 meters high.

►The old bridge will remain a monument and a remnant of history.

The Last train service through Old Bridge was on December 23, 2022.