New Pamban bridge safe for train operations at 80 kmph: RVNL chief

The new Pamban bridge, which is all set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram on April 6, is safe to operate trains at 80 kmph speed for 100 years, the head of the public sector enterprise executing the work said on Saturday.

M.P. Singh, director (operations) at Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and also one of the five members of the Expert Committee formed last November to look into the safety concerns, said the panel thoroughly examined all aspects of this iconic bridge.

The committee has concluded that the bridge is structurally safe to operate trains at 80 kmph for 100 years, he said.

In January, a document shared by Southern Railway said that the "robust surface protection system against corrosion can extend the bridge's lifespan to 38 years without maintenance and up to 58 years with minimal maintenance".

RVNL is responsible for planning, designing, execution and commissioning of this iconic bridge.

"Though the bridge is safe to operate trains at 160 kmph, due to a curvature in its alignment towards the Rameshwaram end, the speed has been safely fixed at 80 kmph," Singh told PTI, adding that every aspect of the bridge underwent intense scrutiny after the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) flagged some concern on its design and fatigue.

In November 2024, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had formed a high-level committee of five members consisting of principal executive directors from the Railway Board (Bridges) and Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), chief bridge engineer from Southern Railway and the RVNL director, along with an external expert from IIT-Roorkee.

The committee was assigned to look into the safety concerns of CRS, who had flagged issues such as faults in alignment, lack of anti-corrosion measures, flaws in the signalling system among others, imposing a speed restriction of 50 kmph.

"The committee deliberated on the adequacy of the design of the bridge and all other points of concern and found that they as per relevant provisions," Singh said, adding that the bridge has the fatigue for annual traffic of 50 GMT (Gross Million Tonnes) and a design life of 100 years.

According to him, the vertical lift span, the most iconic structure that will rise to a height of 17 m for ships to pass under it, strictly follows the Indian and Euro Codes duly assessed for fatigue.

Singh also mentioned that IIT Bombay and IIT Madras were also involved in the vetting of designs.

"The panel even looked at welding of joints and found that it was done by competent welders. Further, Independent weld checking has been done by Welding Research Institute, Trichy controlled by BHEL," he said.

"For two years, from 2017 to 2019, a team of our experts visited the UK, the USA and a couple of other European countries only to study the global practice in the existing moveable bridges and decide a suitable design and structure for Pamban," Singh said, adding that after examining global practices the RVNL started the construction in December 2019.

The old bridge, constructed and commissioned by the Britishers in 1914, was operational for train services till December 23, 2022, completing over 108 years of its existence in a highly corrosive environment and unpredictable weather conditions.

According to the Railways, the new bridge, linking Rameswaram to the mainland, stands as a remarkable feat of Indian engineering on the global stage.

"It is built at a cost of over Rs 550 crore. It is 2.08 km in length, features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of larger ships while ensuring seamless train operations," the ministry said.