NEW DELHI: The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Circle, has pointed out several lapses in the planning and construction of the new Pamban Bridge between Mandapam and Pamban stations in Tamil Nadu, while giving nod to allow movement of passenger and freight trains on the section. It has, however, imposed specific “stipulations” that must be complied with before commencing train operation.
CRS clearance is mandatory for commercial operation of any railway line. The new bridge — just over two-km-long — will replace the existing bridge, which was opened in 1914.
In his letter to the Southern Railway, South Circle CRS, A M Chowdhary, said while the construction of the previous bridge is regarded a technical marvel, considering the much lesser availability of technology 100 years back, “I am constrained to point out that, in stark contrast, the present bridge sets a bad example of constructing an important structure, with glaring lapses from the planning stage to execution”.
The letter, dated Nov 26, has also ticked off the Railway Board by saying, “It is unfortunate that the Railway Board has been flouting its own guidelines” by dissociating RDSO (railways standards organisation) from the project. It has pointed out that the lift span girder was designed using non-standard codes, bypassing RDSO norms. The letter has also flagged violations, ranging from non-standard design approaches to substandard welding techniques, which could reduce the stress-carrying capacity of the bridge by 36%.
The Southern Railways is hopeful of opening the bridge for commercial operation in the next two weeks. A spokesperson of the Indian Railways Southern Zone said, “Authorization given by CRS-SBC for traffic of goods and passenger trains with some observations… will be adhered to by the Southern Railway as mentioned in the CRS letter.”
As per the letter, during the speed trial the new bridge sustained speeds of up to 80 kmph. However, CRS has allowed a maximum sectional speed of 75 kmph. The railway safety regulator has asked the South Zone to “rectify deficiencies” before starting commercial services and intimate it.
