Not too far from the southeast coast of India lies Ramesvaram island, which can be reached by motor boat or by ferry. But it can also be done in a more extreme way – by Chennai-Ramesveram railroad, the road over the sea. The tiny island is of great interest to tourists, and local residents consider this place to be the holiest in India.

 

The island presents unique religious and architectural sights, that’s why Ramesvaram is visited by a huge number of people from all over the world. It was in the 14th century that the native residents began to think of the construction of a bridge, linking the mainland of India with the island.

 

The thing is, the boat trip has been and remains the riskiest event, the sea is very rough here, and a storm comes almost every day.

 

The railway bridge to Ramesvaram island was constructed in 1914 and has 1,4 kilometres in length. Experienced tourists say that worst of all is to cross the bridge in a storm, since it just seems like the fragile bridge construction wobbles with the train over the raging sea. Humming wind never dies down and this also complicates the movement of the train.

 

Plans for a bridge to connect to mainland was suggested in 1870] as the British Administration sought ways to increase trade with Ceylon. The construction began in August 1911 and was opened on 24 February 1914. The adjacent road bridge was opened in 1988.As of 5 December 2018, the bridge was closed due to a crack in the bridge and the maintenance work is going on. The Indian Railway Minister Piyush Goyal announced that a new railway bridge will be constructed near the old Pamban Bridge at a cost of Rs. 250 crores. This new dual track bridge is planned to be constructed in automotive mode, allowing two ships to pass this bridge at the same time.