Pamban Bridge

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The Pamban Bridge also called Indira Gandhi Bridge lies on the Indian end of the Palk Strait that connects Pamban island to mainland India. It actually refers to both the road bridge and the cantilever railway bridge, though primarily it means the latter. It is the longest sea bridge in India at a length of nearly 2.3 km (2345 meters) and stands as a fine example of Indian architecture. The bridge was constructed with sufficient elevation and a beautiful scenery of the sea, adjoining Islands and parallel rail bridge below can be viewed from the bridge.

The openable part of the railway bridge (called movable bridge in Civil Engineering terms) is in existence since 1911 and still it is functioning quiet well. It carries meter gauge trains on it, however, recently the Indian Railways are in the process of upgrade it to carry broad gauge trains. Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai - a premier national research laboratory in India, is handling this task.

In response to an article on gauge conversion on the Pamban bridge , that appeared in one of India's leading national daily, The Hindu, on September 1, 2006, S Krishnamoorthy, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, wrote: "The report is not based on authorised sources of the Railways. The Railways have a time-tested system of executing bridge works or, for that matter, any work in a proper manner. Any project work, such as the conversion of the Pamban bridge to broad gauge standards, is gone into great detail at several levels before comissioning of the project. The Commissioner for Railway Safety, Bangalore, who is an independent authority under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, ensures safety by going into the detail of each and every aspect of the project. Accordingly, in the case of the Pamban bridge conversion also, before comissioning of the bridge, the Commissioner for Railway Safety would ensure that the bridge is opened in a safe and proper manner. The conversion has been taken up, duly carrying out necessary analysis of all aspects of the works, and in this exercise reputed organisations such as the Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, which is a CSIR laboratory under the Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as IIT Madras are involved."

A walk on the bridge is an exhilarating experience. At times the breeze could be strong. The view of the distant sea and the string of islands on the left of Pamban island is simply breathtaking. Though the bridge is a stunning structure, the entrance to the bridge from both the Mandapam and Pamban sides do not do justice to this impressive landmark.