PM Modi emplanes for Rameswaram to inaugurate New Pamban Bridge

Anuradhapura: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday departed for Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram after concluding his three-day visit State visit to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake saw him off at the airport.

On the occasion of Ram Navami, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate India’s first vertical lift sea bridge, the New Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.

The 2.07-kilometre-long New Pamban Bridge, spanning the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu, stands as a testament to India’s engineering prowess and visionary infrastructure development, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

The bridge has one vertical lift spanning 72.5 metres with two tracks. The approach has 88 spans of 18.3-metre steel plate girders fabricated for a single line.

The bridge’s story traces back to 1914, when British engineers constructed the original Pamban bridge. A cantilever (a long piece of metal or wood that extends from a wall to support the end of a bridge) structure with a Scherzer Rolling Lift span to connect Rameswaram Island with mainland India. However, the new bridge, sanctioned in 2019, is three metres higher than the existing one, improving sea connectivity.

The bridge has served as a lifeline for pilgrims, tourists and trade.

“However, the harsh marine environment and growing transportation demands necessitated a modern solution. In 2019, the Central government sanctioned the construction of a technologically advanced, future-ready replacement,” read the Railway Ministry’s statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday jointly inaugurated the track upgradation of the existing Maho-Omanthai railway line.

PM Modi said that India is proud to assist Sri Lanka in various aspects of their development, and this activity boosted their friendship and connectivity.

In a post on X, he said, “Boosting connectivity and enhancing friendship! In Anuradhapura, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and I jointly inaugurated the track upgrade of the existing Maho-Omanthai railway line. The signalling project, which involves the installation of an advanced signalling and telecommunication system along the Maho-Anuradhapura section, was also launched. India is proud to support Sri Lanka in various aspects of their development journey.”