As part of its plan to improve the safety and strength of the century-old Pamban rail bridge, India’s first cantilever-bridge, Southern Railway began replacing 16 highly corroded girders recently without disrupting train services to Rameswaram island.
Under the supervision of Southern Railway Divisional Engineer (North) Karthik and Additional Divisional Engineer Manikandan, the work began recently after all safety precautionary measures were ascertained.
“We have moved in all infrastructure and will complete the work by November end,” G. Ramakrishnan, Managing Director, MR Hi Tech Engineers, which was awarded the contract, said.
The company had replaced 28 corroded girders with metalised girders supplied by Southern Railway Engineering Workshop in Arokkonam last year.
Madurai Division of Southern Railway had given the company a three-hour window time between 5.50 a.m. and 8.50 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays to carry out the work, he said.
Large workforce
A large workforce had been mobilised and the workers would begin the work soon after Rameswaram-Madurai passenger train crossed the bridge, he said, and added that they replaced a corroded girder at the 40th span with a new one, which measured 12.20 metres in length and weighed 13 tonnes. For the first time, the railways used six girders with polythene coating, a new technology on the suggestion of the research wing of Indian Railways, M. Suyambulingam, Chief Engineer (Bridges), told The Hindu .
