The Pamban Railway Bridge, which is now over 100 years old, spans the Palk Strait in the Indian Ocean, connecting Pamban Island with India, and is approximately 2.3 kilometers long. Most of the bridge is made of steel.
It is a bridge with a cantilever section in the middle that opens when necessary so as not to interrupt maritime traffic. Until recently, this section was opened manually.
This bridge was built during British rule, and construction took approximately 3 years. It has been in operation since 1914 and was India's first bridge over the sea. In 1964, a tropical cyclone caused some serious damage to the bridge, which was repaired in a relatively short period of time. Currently, It is the second-longest bridge in the country built over the sea.
Since this bridge carries a railroad line, the track gauge was modified in 2007. The gauge chosen was 1,676 mm, which is the standard track gauge in India.
It is also known as the Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge.
