Railway safety commissioner flags ‘glaring lapses’ at Rameswaram Pamban bridge

The vertical lift sea bridge in Tamil Nadu’s Pamban off Rameswaram coast, which is likely to be inaugurated soon, sets a “bad example” of constructing with “glaring lapses right from planning stage to execution”, the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) AM Chowdhary, who inspected the structure earlier this month, has said.

The 2km-long sea bridge with a 72-metre vertical lift is unique in India, which was opened in 1914. It was severely damaged by a cyclone in 1964 and was fixed at the time. Rail traffic on the Pamban bridge was suspended in December 2022 after cracks were noticed. The new construction, which is being executed by a central PSU, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, will replace the existing bridge.

“While the construction of the previous bridge more than 100 years ago is regarded as a technical marvel, considering much lesser availability of technology back in those days, and considering the corrosive environment that it has withstood, I am constrained to point out that in stark contrast, the present bridge sets a bad example of constructing an important structure with glaring lapses right from planning stage to its execution,” the commissioner said in his eight-page letter, dated November 26. “It was unfortunate that the Railway Board has notbeen following its own guidelines,” he said, referring to standard practices such as forming a technical advisory group not being formed for the Pamban bridge.

Also read: Offbeat destination: Pamban Island battles storms but offers breathtaking views of the Bay of Bengal

The commissioner’s damning report comes at a time when the opposition has been criticising the Union government over passenger safety due to frequent derailment of trains and after the Balasore train accident that killed nearly 300 people.

In response to the commissioner’s report, the railway board has formed a five-member technical committee comprising a principal executive director [PED] (Bridge) Railway Board, PED Research Design and Standard Organisations (RDSO), chief bridge Engineer from Southern Railway, Director of RVNL and an independent safety expert, said an official from the railways. “The committee will investigate and submit a report in 45 days,” the railway official said.

The commissioner has imposed a speed limit of 50 km per hour over the lift bridge. “Adequate measures have not been taken to address the issue of corrosion even when the bridge is stated to be in the second-worst corrosive environment in the world,” the commissioner said. “The components of the bridge have already started corroding,” he added.

The bridge that towers over green waters connects the Indian mainland with Rameswaram island via a rail link that will lift vertically, allowing even ships that are large in size to also pass through. It is being built at an estimated cost of ₹280 crore to replace the 110-year-old Cantilever bridge.

The bridge has been constructed based on design by a reputed international consultant, which was proof checked by IIT-Madras and IIT-Bombay, railways said. “The bridge is designed with European and Indian Codes…It is confirmed that the bridge has been constructed with state-of-the-art design and the best construction practices. It is cleared for operation by the Commissioner of Railway Safety,” the railways official quoted above said. “Further points raised by CRS will be compiled in total,” the official added.

Also read: New Pamban bridge, India's first vertical lift sea bridge, See pics

The commissioner gave a list of technical and structural stipulations to be completed before starting commercial services. “Train services shall be allowed only after a certification by DRM/MDU regarding attention to these deficiencies,” the commissioner said. He also directed the Madurai division of the Southern Railway to get the entire track on the bridge surveyed again for deficiencies similar to what have been pointed out by him and get them rectified.

He called for adequate training and competency certificates to be issued to bridge operators and technicians as per the approved operational procedure order. He pointed out that the station master at Pamban Block station was not conversant with revised working instructions for dealing of trains between Pamban and Mandapam and the points-woman at Pamban Block station was not conversant with location of line verification box of bridge axle counter and the resetting procedure.

He also raised defects in the signalling system, civil engineering and other aspects. “Mismatch in interface data between signalling and electromechanical systems at Pamban Bridge has resulted in alterations in approved signalling interlocking circuits at Pamban Bridge control room,” he said. “To avoid such alterations and ambiguities, interface data between signalling and electromechanical systems shall be jointly approved by Technical HODs.”

Work here began in 2020 but was interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The iconic structure is a tourist attraction in Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi, which are primarily visited by pilgrims from across the country.