Indian Railways: How was the sea bridge (railway) in Rameshwaram (India) made, despite India lagging in cutting edge technology?
Sea Bridge: India’s first sea bridge, the Pamban Bridge is a cantilever bridge on the Palk Strait. It connects Rameshwaram on Pamban Island (Tamil Nadu) to mainland India.
The most fascinating fact about it is that it was opened in 1914.
Note:Not the one made in Ramayana.
The most fascinating fact about it is that it was opened in 1914.
Note:Not the one made in Ramayana.
The answer was originally written by Mr.Chandramani Swain which unfortuantely collapsed.
Opened in 1914, Pamban bridge was India's first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India till 2010. The rail bridge is for the most part, a conventional bridge resting on concrete piers, but has a double leaf bascule section midway, which can be raised to let ships and barges pass through. On 24 February 2014, the Pamban Bridge marked its 100th anniversary.
The proposal for the bridge was sent to British Parliament. The proposal was called Indo Ceylon Project. Originally, 2 such bridges were to be made- from Pamban to Rameswaram and from Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar (Sri Lanka) at an estimated cost of Rs 299 lakhs. However, the British Parliament rejected the proposal citing high costs. Then, the plan for the bridge from Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar was dropped. The Parliament, in 1880, approved the proposal with an estimated cost of Rs 70 Lakhs.
The tragedy in 1964
On December 22, the powerful cyclone struck northern areas of Ceylon and caused catastrophic damage. Pamban Island suffered one of the worst effects of the cyclone. Dhanushkodi, a major transit point between India and Sri Lanka was deserted and turned into a ghost town. The cyclone also caused massive damage to the bridge.
The Reconstruction
After this disaster The Indian Railway Engineers team had been came up with a 6 month plan to set back the tracks on place and repairing of bridge. However, the renovation and restoration of the bridge took just 46 days under the leadership of E.sreedharan.
Sources:
Pamban Bridge, Pamban Railway Bridge
Pamban bridge is 100 and still going strong
Opened in 1914, Pamban bridge was India's first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India till 2010. The rail bridge is for the most part, a conventional bridge resting on concrete piers, but has a double leaf bascule section midway, which can be raised to let ships and barges pass through. On 24 February 2014, the Pamban Bridge marked its 100th anniversary.
Located at the world’s second highly corrosive environment, next to Mexico, the bridge was constructed amid challenges.
The need for rail connectivity between the main land and the island was felt in the late 1870s, when the East India Company, expanding its trade, decided to establish rail link between Danushkodi and Colombo.
The proposal for the bridge was sent to British Parliament. The proposal was called Indo Ceylon Project. Originally, 2 such bridges were to be made- from Pamban to Rameswaram and from Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar (Sri Lanka) at an estimated cost of Rs 299 lakhs. However, the British Parliament rejected the proposal citing high costs. Then, the plan for the bridge from Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar was dropped. The Parliament, in 1880, approved the proposal with an estimated cost of Rs 70 Lakhs.
Soon the excavation work began and the South Indian Railway commenced the bridge construction in 1902. The ‘Khurai” families from the Kutch region in Gujarat, who had experience in working with the Himalayan Railways were brought to Pamban for excavation and erection work, while the fabricated structures were brought from Britain, the Engineer said talking to The Hindu . Work was smooth till the construction of 112th pier from Mandapam side. The project faced the first major hurdle when the engineers found movement of ferry service in a 65.23 metre wide ‘Pambar’ in the Palk strait.
It was at this stage, the Railways approached Scherzer, a German Engineer, who designed and built the famous 65.23 metre long rolling type lift span, which opens up to pave way for the vessels to pass through like a pair of scissors. After the erection of rolling lift centre span in 1913, the bridge was thrown open to traffic on February 24, 1914.
The tragedy in 1964
On December 22, the powerful cyclone struck northern areas of Ceylon and caused catastrophic damage. Pamban Island suffered one of the worst effects of the cyclone. Dhanushkodi, a major transit point between India and Sri Lanka was deserted and turned into a ghost town. The cyclone also caused massive damage to the bridge.
The Reconstruction
After this disaster The Indian Railway Engineers team had been came up with a 6 month plan to set back the tracks on place and repairing of bridge. However, the renovation and restoration of the bridge took just 46 days under the leadership of E.sreedharan.
Sources:
Pamban Bridge, Pamban Railway Bridge
Pamban bridge is 100 and still going strong
Curious about Dogri (Language)?
Ask a Question
Pamban Bridge is executed by Indian Engineers and it was a marvel at that time, both for its type of construction and for the Lifting mechanism.
The Pamban bridge spans a 2 km-strait between mainland and island and is the only surface transport link between the two. This bridge, constructed by the Indian Engineers over a hundred years ago and still in good condition, is a marvel of engineering. Until recently, the bridge formed Pamban island's only link with the Indian mainland. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims on pilgrimage to the holy Hindu shrine of Rameswaram cross the bridge every day.
This bridge is located at the "world's second highly corrosive environment", next to Miami, US, making the construction a challenging job. The location is also a cyclone-prone high wind velocity zone.
This Bridge consists of 143 piers and the centre span is a Scherzer rolling type lift span. It's 220 ft (67 m) long and each of 100 tonnes. This railway bridge is 6,776 ft (2,065 m) long and was opened for traffic in 1914.The bridge has a still-functioning double-leaf bascule section that can be raised to let ships pass.
The railway bridge historically carried metre-gauge trains, but Indian Railways upgraded the bridge to carry broad-gauge trains. Until recently, the two leaves of the bridge were opened manually using levers by workers. About 10 ships — cargo carriers, coast guard ships, fishing vessels and oil tankers — pass through the bridge every month.
The Pamban bridge spans a 2 km-strait between mainland and island and is the only surface transport link between the two. This bridge, constructed by the Indian Engineers over a hundred years ago and still in good condition, is a marvel of engineering. Until recently, the bridge formed Pamban island's only link with the Indian mainland. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims on pilgrimage to the holy Hindu shrine of Rameswaram cross the bridge every day.
This bridge is located at the "world's second highly corrosive environment", next to Miami, US, making the construction a challenging job. The location is also a cyclone-prone high wind velocity zone.
This Bridge consists of 143 piers and the centre span is a Scherzer rolling type lift span. It's 220 ft (67 m) long and each of 100 tonnes. This railway bridge is 6,776 ft (2,065 m) long and was opened for traffic in 1914.The bridge has a still-functioning double-leaf bascule section that can be raised to let ships pass.
The railway bridge historically carried metre-gauge trains, but Indian Railways upgraded the bridge to carry broad-gauge trains. Until recently, the two leaves of the bridge were opened manually using levers by workers. About 10 ships — cargo carriers, coast guard ships, fishing vessels and oil tankers — pass through the bridge every month.
No comments:
Post a Comment