The New Pamban Bridge is a railway bridge that is currently under construction, nearing completion, that will connect the town of Mandapam in mainland India with Rameswaram on Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu.
The bridge is being constructed parallel to the famous Pamban Bridge, which was opened in 1914. It was India’s first sea bridge and the longest one in the country until the Bandra-Worli Sea Link was opened in 2010.
The original Pamban Bridge was the only surface transport link connecting Rameswaram to mainland India until 1988 when a road bridge was built parallel to it.
Rail transportation on the Pamban Bridge was stopped permanently in December 2022 due to significant weakening of a section due to corrosion.
The foundation for the New Pamban Bridge was laid in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the construction began in 2020.
The bridge is being constructed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited for approximately ₹550 crore.
The new bridge will be 3 metres higher than the old one at 12.5 metres above sea level and will have 100 spans across the sea. The vertical lift span of the bridge will be around 72 metres.
The bridge has an automatic lifting technology to raise the centre of the bridge to make way for ships to pass through.
The Southern Railway has successfully completed a trial run of an OHE tower car on the New Pamban bridge.
It aims to complete the construction of the bridge by September 2024 and start the train services to Rameswaram from October 1.