Five-member panel to assess safety of new Pamban bridge
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said a five-member committee under the guidance of Additional Members (Bridges) of the Railway Board has been set up to examine the concerns raised by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Circle, AM Chowdhary, regarding the new Pamban bridge.
In his report after inspecting the bridge, which is India’s first vertical-lift bridge constructed to replace the the old Pamban bridge, the CRS had pointed out certain “glaring lapses” in planning and execution of the project. He, however, authorised the commencement of train operations with speed restrictions.
Interacting with reporters in New Delhi on Thursday, the union minister said the committee had experts from the Research Design and Standards Organisation and the Southern Railways along with an independent safety consultant. The panel will do an in-depth study of all aspects of the bridge’s design and construction in one-and-half months.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued in response to media reports on the concerns raised by the CRS, the railway ministry said, “It is confirmed that the bridge has been constructed with state-of-the-art design and the best construction practices. It is cleared for operation by CRS. Further points raised by CRS will be complied with in total.”
Regarding specific concerns on corrosion, the statement said a special painting scheme used in extreme corrosion prone areas across the globe using polysiloxane paint with a design life of 35 years has been implemented.
Use of stainless steel in reinforced concrete construction, fully-welded box section in lift span, complete avoidance of splice joints in the approach span girders, inspections arrangements and hand rails are among the innovative features implemented to counter corrosion.
The 2.05-km bridge’s design was done by TYPSA, an international consultant. The design was proof checked first by IIT-M and later by IIT-Bombay, the statement said. Modifications in RDSO design for approach girders to suit local constraints were also proof checked by IIT-M and IIT-B and approved by the Southern Railway, the statement said.