Train Services Halted from Rameswaram After Technical Glitch on New Pamban Bridge
Train operations from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu were suspended for several hours on Tuesday following a technical fault on the newly constructed Pamban Rail Bridge, disrupting the journeys of hundreds of passengers.
Railway officials detected a malfunction in the vertical lift section of the bridge, prompting an immediate halt to services. At least four trains — Train No. 16104 Rameswaram–Tambaram Express, Train No. 16527 Rameswaram–Chennai Egmore Express, Train No. 56716 Rameswaram–Madurai Passenger, and Train No. 56713 Madurai–Rameswaram Passenger — were stopped at Akka Math, news agency ANI reported. The disruption left passengers stranded mid-journey.
Following the detection of the fault, the vertical lift span of the bridge was lowered, and railway engineers conducted a test run using a train engine to assess safety.
The new Pamban Bridge, connecting Rameswaram to the mainland, replaces the historic 2 km-long sea bridge that opened in 1914. The old bridge was damaged by a cyclone in 1964 and later repaired, but rail services were suspended there in December 2022 after cracks were found.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 6, the new structure is India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge. Built at a cost of over ₹550 crore, it spans 2.08 km and features 99 spans, including a 72.5-metre lift span capable of rising 17 metres to allow large ships to pass while enabling uninterrupted train movement.
Constructed with stainless steel reinforcement, fully welded joints, high-grade protective paint, and a special polysiloxane coating to guard against corrosion, the bridge is designed for dual tracks to meet future demand. It also carries cultural significance, with the Ramayana linking the origins of Ram Setu to nearby Dhanushkodi.
