Five-member panel set up to examine safety concerns about new Pamban Bridge: Vaishnaw

New Delhi, Nov 28 (PTI) The Railway Ministry has set up a five-member panel to address the safety concerns raised by the rail safety commissioner about the new Pamban Bridge, India's first vertical-lift bridge connecting the mainland with Rameswaram.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety, South Circle, recently inspected the bridge as per norms and pointed out certain deficiencies with a direction to rectify these before starting passenger as well as freight train operations.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "We have set up a five-member committee under the guidance of Additional Members (Bridges) of the Railway Board which will examine the concerns raised by the Commissioner of Railway Safety." "The committee has bridge experts from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Southern Railways along with an independent safety consultant," he said while interacting with reporters on Thursday.

He said an in-depth safety analysis will be done by the committee in one-and-a-half months to address all aspects of the bridge's design.

In a statement, the Railway Ministry said the 2.05-km-long Pamban Bridge with a unique 72-metre vertical lift span is one of its kind in the country.

"The design of this steel bridge has been done by TYPSA, an international consultant. It was designed with European and Indian codes and the design was proof-checked by IIT-Chennai. Being designed by a foreign consultant, the Railway Board envisaged technical limitations in examination of design by the Railways and RDSO," it said.

"The Railway Board decided on additional proof check of design by IIT-Bombay. After double proof check, the design of the bridge was approved by the Southern Railway," according to the statement.

The ministry added the bridge has been constructed based on a design by a reputed International Consultant and duly proof-checked by the two most premier institutes of the country.

It said the modification in RDSO design for approach girders to suit local constraints has also been proof-checked by IIT Madras/IIT Bombay and approved by Southern Railway.

Highlighting the technical precautions taken by the experts, the note said the welding of structural members was checked 100 per cent by using the latest Phase Array Ultrasonic Testing and involving the Welding Research Institute, Trichy, along with a test check by the Southern Railway.

"For corrosion protection, a special painting scheme used in extreme corrosion-prone areas in the world using polysiloxane paint with a design life of 35 years, has been implemented," it said.

"The use of stainless steel reinforcement in reinforced concrete construction, fully welded box section in lift span, completely avoiding splice joints in the approach span girders, fibre-reinforced polymer in pathways, inspection arrangements and handrails are amongst the innovative features to counter corrosion protection," the Railway ministry said.

Reiterating that points raised by the rail safety commissioner will be complied with, the ministry's note said, "It is confirmed that the bridge has been constructed with a state-of-the-art design and the best construction practices. It is cleared for operation by the Commissioner of Railway Safety." As the Bridge is under construction, at present, all trains terminate at Mandapam and people use road routes to reach Rameswaram.

In November 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the new bridge, parallel to the old one built in 1913 and suspended on December 23, 2022, after being declared non-operational. The work on the new bridge was started in February 2020 by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.

It was supposed to be completed by December 2021, however, the deadline was extended initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later due to several technical and weather conditions.

According to the Southern Railway, the 2.05-km-long bridge will allow the Indian Railways to operate trains at a higher speed and it will also increase traffic between the mainland of India and Rameswaram.

Till a road bridge was constructed in 1988, train services were the only link connecting Mandapam to Rameswaram Island situated in the Gulf of Mannar. PTI JP JP NSD NSD