Railway Safety Commissioner flags fall on new Pamban Bridge as he nods for train use | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS), South Circle, has pointed out several shortcomings in the planning and construction of the new Pamban Bridge between Mandapam and Pamban stations in Tamil Nadu, while nodding to allow the movement of passenger and freight trains on the route. However, it has imposed specific ‘provisions’ that must be met before commencing train operation.
CRS approval is mandatory for the commercial operation of any railway line. The new bridge – just over two kilometers long – will replace the existing bridge, which opened in 1914.
In his letter to the Southern Railway, South Circle CRS, AM Chowdhary said while the construction of the previous bridge is considered an engineering marvel, considering the much lesser availability of technology 100 years ago, “I am compelled to point out that, in In stark contrast, the current bridge is a poor example of the construction of a major structure, with glaring errors from the planning stage to implementation.”
The letter, dated November 26, has also slammed the Railway Board, saying: “It is unfortunate that the Railway Board is flouting its own guidelines” by disconnecting the RDSO (the railway standards organisation) from the project. It has pointed out that the span girder has been designed using non-standard codes, bypassing RDSO standards. The letter also identified violations ranging from non-standard design approaches to substandard welding techniques, which could reduce the bridge’s stress-bearing capacity by 36%.
Southern Railways hopes to open the bridge for commercial operation in the next two weeks. An Indian Railways Southern Zone spokesperson said: “The permission given by CRS-SBC for the movement of freight and passenger trains with some observations… will be adhered to by the Southern Railway as per the CRS letter.”
According to the letter, the new bridge reached speeds of up to 80 km/h during the speed test. However, CRS has allowed a maximum section speed of 75 km/h. The railway safety regulator has asked the South Zone to “remediate the deficiencies” before starting commercial services and making them public.