Rameswaram: The historic cantilever railway bridge connecting Rameswaram island to the mainland at Mandapam, which has been undergoing repair works, is also getting a fresh coat of paint now.
The spectacular bridge, India's first cantilever bridge over the sea and which is over 100 years old, continues to be closed for railway traffic since the Southern Railway took up works to mend the cracks on the girder of the two lifting spans of the bridge since December 4, 2018.
Even as the repair and renovation works on the bridge is going on, authorities have taken up a massive re-painting work to protect the structure from sea erosion and from the strong winds from the Gulf of Mannar sea, which bring a lot of salt with it, thereby affecting the façade of the bridge.
Once the painting work is completed, the rail bridge is expected to become functional soon and people here hope for the same in the interests of the travelling public, pilgrims and tourists to Rameswaram. For now, train passengers alight at Mandapam station on the mainland and they are then taken to Rameswaram by specially arranged buses by the road bridge.
