RAMANATHAPURAM: With screeching echoes of the past chugging along their heavy hearts, residents in the Pamban area recently witnessed the dismantling of the oldest sea bridge in India. Those who gathered to observe the wrecking spoke of bygone days they spent on the bridge’s pedestrian pathway, inside the trains and on the shores just watching the trains whizz over the mighty Pamban rail bridge that connected Rameswaram with the mainland for well over a 100 years.
All train services on the route were suspended in December last, after a monitoring device placed by experts from IIT-Madras revealed excessive vibrations on the bridge leading to safety concerns. Soon after, railway officials completely suspended the services and said works for constructing a new bridge would begin soon. Rail tracks on 889 metres connecting Mandapam and the bridge have been dismantled so far, while works to take apart 275 metres of tracks leading to Rameswaram will be taken up soon.
The Pamban bridge was opened for rail transport on February 24, 1914, to connect Mandapam on the mainland with Rameswaram island situated in the Gulf of Mannar. It was the only way to travel between the two locations until a road bridge was built parallel to the sea link in 1988. As mentioned in the book ‘Marvels of the South Indian Railway’ published by the Railway Heritage Centre Southern Railway, Tiruchy, the bridge was designed by the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company of Chicago and was constructed by the UK firm Head Wrightson & Co Ltd.
Works for the new sea link have now been taken up by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) at a cost of `535 crore. Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from Southern Railway said the dismantling works will be completed in the coming days. “We have also raised fences from both sides of the structure to prevent the public from entering the work site. The works are underway in a high-paced manner. Approach girder launching has been 76% completed, track linking work has been 60% completed, fabrication of lift span 98%, and fabrication of towers have been 67% finished. The new bridge is likely to be ready in a couple of months,” the official added.
Meanwhile, not everyone in Pamban area has yet come to terms with the dismantling of the iconic bridge. Former panchayat president M Patrick said, “I have been seeing this bridge for the last 50 years. In my opinion, the bridge was as strong now as I first saw it. We all have spent many days on the pedestrian path and the centenary celebrations of the sea link were a huge moment for us. Crores of people have travelled over this structure. It is very saddening to see the tracks being taken apart now. The bridge should have been left as it is since it is a technical marvel and a historical monument.”