Rameswaram: Come February, the historic Pamban rail bridge vying for UNESCO’s heritage status is turning 100. The southern railway is gearing up to celebrating the 100th anniversary in a grand manner.
The year 1914 is of great significance in the history of Pamban as it was when the South Indian Railway commissioned the cantilever rail bridge on the Palk Strait between Mandapam and Pamban. Prior to that pilgrims and those heading to Sri Lanka had been using only ferry service from Mandapam to Pamban from where they rode on horses to reach Rameswaram island.
Being the country’s first and second longest sea bridge at a length of 2.3 km, it rests on concrete piers. With Scherzer, a German engineer, designing and building the 65.23 m-long rolling type lift span that opens like a pair of scissors to facilitate vessels pass through, the project was completed and the bridge was opened to traffic on Feb 24, 1914. Goods trains were operated from September the same year.
It survived the cyclonic storm that hit the region in Dec 1964 though two of the 143 piers got damaged and the girders were washed away. But a team of engineers led by E.Sreedharan put the bridge back on the track in a span of a few months. After 84 years, the Scherzer’s span was renovated in 1998 and the 12 rusty girders under it were replaced with new ones.
In July, 2006, rail traffic on the bridge was suspended due to the conversion of metre gauge line in to broad gauge following the suggestion made by the then President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, a native of Rameswaram. Train services resumed in the section in 2007 after completion of broad gauge work. The bridge faced trouble when a barge crashed in to it but the hitch was overcome within a week and services resumed.
Now that the ancient rail bridge that has stood the test of time is all set to complete its 100th year, the Southern Railway has lined up a series of events to celebrate its rich history and antiquity. Madurai divisional railway officer Ajai Kant Rastogi visited Pamban on Thursday when the locals insisted that the function be held at Pamban only. The railway administration, however, is yet to choose between Pamban and Mandapam.
Rastogi said the celebrations will span over a week. A postal stamp on the bridge will be released on the occasion, he said adding that the demand to rechristen Rameswaram Express as Pamban Express will also be considered.
