Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates New Pamban Bridge at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram on April 6, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (April 6, 2025) inaugurated the new Pamban rail bridge, which connects Rameswaram Island off the Tamil Nadu coast, with Ramanathapuram in the mainland.
Constructed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited at a cost of ₹531 crore, the 2.07-km bridge over the Palk Strait features a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that can be raised to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth ship movement underneath while improving rail connectivity.
Also read: PM Modi in Tamil Nadu: Pamban Bridge inauguration highlights
The Prime Minister described the new bridge, which is India’s first vertical lift sea bridge, as an “engineering wonder” that “brought together technology and tradition”. With the completion of the bridge, a long-pending demand of the people had been fulfilled, he said. “The Pamban rail bridge will support both ease of business and ease of travel. It will have positive effects on the lives of lakhs of people,” he said.
The new structure, which has replaced the now defunct British-era old Pamban rail bridge, is expected to enhance connectivity between Rameswaram and the mainland, while benefiting trade and tourism in Tamil Nadu.
With the Palk Strait being a highly corrosive environment, the bridge has been constructed with stainless steel reinforcement and features high-grade protective paint, the government said. The new bridge is also three meters higher than the existing one.
Stating that the economy of the country had doubled in the past 10 years, he credited the faster growth to the availability of modern infrastructure. “We have increased investment in development of rail connectivity, roads, ports, airports, electricity and piped water supply, and gas supply by around six times,” Mr. Modi said.
He further said that mega infrastructure projects are being implemented at a faster pace across the country. He said the Chenab rail bridge, one of the highest rail bridges in the world, has been constructed in Jammu and Kashmir in the north; the Atal Setu in Mumbai, the longest sea bridge, has come up in the Western part of the country; the Bogibeel bridge, the longest rail-cum-road bridge, has been built over the Brahmaputra in Assam in the east; and the Pamban rail bridge with the vertical lift span has been commissioned in the south.
The Prime Minister added that a dedicated freight corridor was also being readied while work on the bullet train project was under way at fast pace. Modern trains like Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat were making the rail network more advanced.
The path to a developed nation had become stronger with better regional connectivity, he said, adding every State in the country was getting better connectivity.
Mr. Modi also flagged off the new train services between Rameswaram and Tambaram. He also laid the foundation for the four-laning of the section of the National Highway no. 40 from Walajahpet near Chennai in Tamil Nadu to the Andhra Pradesh border and dedicated three other four-laning highway projects in Tamil Nadu.
Watch: All you need to know about the Pamban rail bridge
Earlier, the Prime Minister also offered prayers at Sri Ramanathaswamy temple on the auspicious day of Rama Navami.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, also spoke.
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi; State Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and R.S. Rajakannappan; MPs K. Navas Kani and R. Dharmar; and senior railway officials were present.
Published – April 06, 2025 08:45 pm IST