PHOTO: S. JAMES

CHALLENGING TASK: Gauge conversion work in progress on the historic Pamban Railway Bridge at Rameswaram.

RAMESWARAM: The broad gauge conversion work on the historic Pamban Railway Bridge, one of the most challenging tasks of the Southern Railway, is progressing well despite adverse working conditions on the sea.

The existing 2.06 km-long Pamban Bridge is 92 years old. It was built in 29 months from August 1911 to December 1913.

The ongoing BG conversion is the second major work taken up by the Southern Railway on the bridge, since its installation.

The Southern Railway undertook major repairing works in 1964 following a cyclone that washed away 124 spans of the viaduct.

Initially, authorities decided to pull down the Pamban Railway structure to construct a new bridge with foreign technology. Global tenders were floated. It was estimated that it would cost between Rs. 600 to Rs. 800 crore.

However, the huge cost forced the authorities to take a re-look at the project and the Southern Railway decided to form broad gauge rails on the existing bridge by strengthening the piers at a cost of Rs. 50 crore.

"Though the work is difficult, it is being carried out with the indigenous technology. We have pooled together ideas of railway engineers reputed in river and sea bridge constructions. Within a short time, 30 to 35 per cent of the work has already been completed," a senior engineer of the Madurai division told The Hindu .

The officials decided to replace 19 pre-stressed concrete girders with new steel ones manufactured by the Engineering Workshop, Arakkonam.

The remaining 70 steel girders will be installed in such a way as to widen the width. The girders and rails are installed through the bracing method. Since the sea along Rameswaram is highly corrosive, all steel materials were coated with aluminium.

The official said five agencies were involved in the work. Besides a group of eminent engineers, more than 500 skilled and unskilled workers were also engaged in various aspects of the work.

The openable part of the bridge (scissor portion) would be slightly altered to suit the broad gauge line on it.

He hoped the work would be completed by March 2007.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail