PM Modi will inaugurate India’s first vertical bridge on Ram Navami, know the special things

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a visit to Tamil Nadu on 6 April on the day of Ram Navami. On the occasion of Ram Navami, he will inaugurate India’s first vertical lift sea bridge i.e. Pamban Rail Bridge and will send a train and a ship from the bridge. After this, at around 12:45 pm, he will visit and worship at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram. After this, at around 1:30 pm in Rameswaram, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of various rail and road projects costing more than Rs 8,300 crore in Tamil Nadu and dedicate them to the country. During this, he will also address the people present there.

Dilip Kumar, Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board, said that Rameswaram is an important island of India, which is considered very special from cultural, spiritual and religious point of view. This place has special significance in Hinduism, as it is associated with Lord Shri Ram. In the year 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Pamban Rail Bridge, which has been successfully completed in 5 years. The Prime Minister will flag off the Rameswaram-Tambaram (Chennai) new train service along with the inauguration of the new Pamban Rail Bridge.

This bridge connecting Rameswaram to the mainland stands as a remarkable achievement of Indian engineering on the global stage. It has been built at a cost of over Rs 700 crore. It is 2.08 km long, has 99 spans and a vertical lift span of 72.5 meters which rises to a height of 17 meters.

This bridge is constructed with stainless steel reinforcement, high quality protective paint and fully welded joints, which will make the bridge more durable and require less maintenance. It is designed for dual rail tracks to meet future demands. A special polysiloxane coating has been applied on this bridge, which will protect it from rusting, so that this bridge will work smoothly for a long time in the harsh marine environment.

Special features of India’s first vertical lift bridge
The new Pamban Bridge is about 2.05 km long and is India’s first vertical lift railway bridge.
It has been built parallel to the old bridge, which was operational since 1914. It is much more modern and stronger than the old bridge.
It has a 100 meter long section, which rises vertically for the passage of ships.
Trains will now be able to run on this bridge at a speed of up to 140 km per hour, making the journey to Rameswaram faster and safer.
It uses state-of-the-art sensor technology, automatic signaling and suspension technology.
This is the country’s first vertical lift rail bridge, which can rise up to facilitate marine traffic.
It will also be able to operate high-speed trains smoothly in the future.
The new bridge is capable of handling very heavy weight. It is designed for 25-25 tonnes axle load. Passenger trains and freight trains will be run on it. This will boost economic activities.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had said a few days ago, ‘The old Pamban rail bridge built in 1914 connected the mainland to Rameswaram for 105 years. It was closed in December 2022 due to rusting, which paved the way for the modern new Pamban bridge, which will usher in a new era of connectivity!’ The opening of this bridge will provide great convenience to the devotees and tourists visiting Rameswaram. Also, this bridge will further strengthen the railway network of South India.

The Pamban Bridge is being inaugurated after getting approval from the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Senior railway officials have checked its safety. Cyclone storms have been occurring in the area where the Pamban Bridge is located. In view of this, the bridge has been made so strong that it can withstand cyclonic storms. This bridge will remain stable even in case of an earthquake. During the design of the bridge, sensitivity to cyclones and earthquakes was kept in mind.

During his visit to Tamil Nadu, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of various road and rail projects worth more than Rs 8,300 crore in the state. These projects include the work of making 29 km long Villupuram-Puducherry section of NH-332 4 lanes, laying the foundation stone for making 28 km long Walajapet-Ranipet section of NH-40 4 lanes and dedicating 57 km long Poondiyankuppam-Sattanathapuram section of NH-32 and 48 km long Cholapuram-Thanjavur section of NH-36 to the nation.