Madurai divisional engineers saved British-era Pamban rail bridge

Determination of Railway Board official saved Rameswaram rail services, leading to successful gauge conversion of Pamban rail bridge.

But for the timely intervention and determination of a senior official of Railway Board, in all probability, train services to Rameswaram island through Pamban rail bridge could have been prematuredly stopped on the metre-gauge section in 2005.

For, the construction Wing of Southern Railway that had taken up gauge conversion between Madurai and Rameswaram decided to complete the work only up to Mandapam.

The officials of Construction Wing felt that gauge conversion of 225 feet of Scherzer span of the Pamban rail bridge, nearing 100 years of existence, would consume much time and thereby delay the gauge conversion project.

The double cantilever truss of 112.5 feet each was designed to open the bridge for facilitating navigation of ships on the Pamban channel.

Hence, the plan for terminating the rail services at Mandapam railway station within the mainland gained momentum.

“They wanted to make Mandapam railway station the new terminal to avoid taking up major modification in the British era Pamban rail bridge due to design and other technical issues,” the former Senior Divisional Engineer (Coordination) of Madurai Railway Division T. Archunan told The Hindu.

Railway officials went ahead with their plan even for land acquisition at Mandapam railway station for construction of railway yard, which meant that passengers would be forced to undertake a road journey for nearly 17 km to reach Rameswaram.