Chennai: The newly constructed Pamban Railway Bridge in Tamil Nadu is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the second week of April, media reports say.
The 2.05 km bridge, which will connect mainland India to Rameswaram Island, will reduce train travel time across the sea from 25-30 minutes on the old bridge to under five minutes.
On March 22, 2025, Southern Railway officials, including Additional General Manager Kaushal Kishore and Madurai Divisional Railway Manager Sharad Srivastava, inspected the bridge and preparations for the inauguration. While no official date has been confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office, Kishore indicated the inauguration would likely occur in early April.
The new bridge, which has completed trials and secured safety certifications, will allow trains to travel at speeds up to 75 km/h, a vast improvement over the old bridge’s speed limit of 10 km/h. The Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the speed limit, with the vertical lift portion operating at a reduced speed of 50 km/h.
Asia’s first vertical lift railway bridge, the new Pamban Bridge features an electro-mechanical lifting system that allows ships to pass through, lifting in just five minutes. However, it cannot operate if wind speeds exceed 58 km/h.
The new bridge stands three meters higher than its predecessor, offering a 22-meter clearance above sea level and improved structural durability. It has been designed for future expansion, including double tracks and railway electrification.
Construction of the bridge began in 2020, after Prime Minister Modi laid its foundation stone in 2019. The project was initially expected to finish by December 2021 but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
