New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the New Pamban Bridge – the country’s first vertical-lift sea bridge – in Tamil Nadu on the occasion of Ram Navami.
PM Modi also flagged off a Coast Guard ship – which passed under the bridge – and the new Rameswaram-Tambaram (Chennai) train. PM Modi, who arrived in Tamil Nadu after a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, also performed a puja at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and laid the foundation stone of various rail and road projects worth over Rs 8,300 crore in the state.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the 2.07-kilometer-long bridge, spanning the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu, stands as a testament to India’s engineering prowess and visionary infrastructure development.
Located in the Ramanathapuram district, the bridge connects Rameswaram Island with Mandapam on the mainland. Built at a cost of over Rs 700 crore by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) – a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways – the bridge features a 72.5-metre navigational span that can be vertically lifted to 17 metres, allowing ships to pass below safely.
The bridge can also support two railway tracks, though it currently operates on a single line. It is cleared for train speeds up to 80 kmph and is built to handle increased rail traffic and heavier loads.
According to a government release, the new bridge has a projected lifespan of 100 years.
It has been constructed with special engineering techniques that reduce the need for frequent maintenance, and uses stainless steel reinforcement, fully welded joints, high-grade protective paint, and a polysiloxane coating to protect against corrosion in the harsh marine environment.
The Pamban Bridge is being compared to famous ones like the Golden Gate Bridge in the USA, Tower Bridge in the UK, and the Oresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden because of its modern design and technology.
The old Pamban Bridge was built in 1914 by British engineers. It used a manually operated Scherzer’s span (a type of rolling lift bridge). The pass over was shut to rail traffic due to safety concerns.
PM Modi witnesses Ram Setu
On the way back from Sri Lanka, PM Modi witnessed the Ram Setu and shared an aerial video.
“On the way back from Sri Lanka a short while ago, was blessed to have a Darshan of the Ram Setu. And, as a divine coincidence, it happened at the same time as the Surya Tilak was taking place in Ayodhya. Blessed to have the Darshan of both. Prabhu Shri Ram is a uniting force for all of us. May His blessings always remain upon us,” he wrote in a post on X.
On the way back from Sri Lanka a short while ago, was blessed to have a Darshan of the Ram Setu. And, as a divine coincidence, it happened at the same time as the Surya Tilak was taking place in Ayodhya. Blessed to have the Darshan of both. Prabhu Shri Ram is a uniting force for… pic.twitter.com/W9lK1UgpmA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 6, 2025
Ram Setu, also known as the Adams Bridge, is a chain of shoals linking India and Sri Lanka. It stretches 48 km between Rameswaram Island, off the southeast coast of India, connecting the Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. It separates the Gulf of Mannar (south), an inlet of the Indian Ocean, from the Palk Strait (north), an inlet of the Bay of Bengal.