Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Tamil Nadu on April 6 -- the Ram Navami Day -- to inaugurate the new Pamban Rail Bridge off the Rameswaram coast. The sea bridge in Pamban is India’s first vertical lift sea bridge.
🚨 PM Modi to open India’s first vertical lift Pamban railway bridge at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, on April 6th. pic.twitter.com/JkC9tJwpcE
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) March 27, 2025
Built at a cost of ₹531 crore, the new sea bridge will replace the 110-year-old iconic Cantilever bridge built during the British era. The rail traffic in this region, connecting the mainland with the island will resume after Modi inaugurates the bridge on April 6. The bridge designed with European and Indian codes was proof-checked by IIT Madras and is considered to be an engineering marvel connecting Rameswaram Island to the mainland. With a groundbreaking infrastructure, the new bridge promises enhanced speed, safety and seamless innovation with cutting-edge technology.
The old Pamban rail bridge which came up in 1914 was decommissioned in December 2022 due to corrosion. It connected the mainland to Rameswaram for 105 years.
The single-track bridge had a manual Scherzer lift span and was limited to low-speed trains, with an air clearance of 19 metres. The new bridge is a fully automated vertical lift span and offers a safer 22-metre clearance, supports double tracks and electrification, and is designed for high-speed trains.
The bridge which was slated to be inaugurated in November was put on hold for safety checks. And now, Modi’s visit to inaugurate the bridge on Ram Navami day assumes political significance as the BJP in Tamil Nadu has been planning strategies to face the upcoming election in 2026. The BJP had always felt that Rameswaram, being a temple town, would help the party tap the religious sentiments in the state.
#WATCH | Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu: The new Pamban Railway Bridge, connecting Rameswaram Island with the mainland, has been completed. India’s first vertical lift sea bridge is expected to be operational by April, restoring rail connectivity and improving transportation in the… pic.twitter.com/eCZs4GxXVA
— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2025
Incidentally, Tamil Nadu’s opposition leader Edappadi K Palanisami had called on Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on March 25 to discuss AIADMK and the BJP renewing its 2021 alliance equations. Sources say that Palanisami and AIADMK senior leaders will call on Modi when he is Rameswaram.
