Imagine you are on a train ride over an old sea-bridge and the sea waves are constantly hitting the iron pillars of the bridge which are all very much old and rusty. What will you do? Will your heart stop working for a moment? To be honest, when we tried something like this during our train ride over the dangerous Pamban Bridge, we were much tensed! We were excited too! The train ride over Pamban Bridge is not only dangerous, it is scenic too! Here, we are going to share our experience of this thrilling train ride on our way from Madurai to Rameshwaram. Keep reading.
ABOUT PAMBAN BRIDGE
The Pamban Bridge is an old railway bridge connecting Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban Island and the pilgrimage town of Rameshwaram. The bridge was opened for public transportation back in 1914 and it is the first sea bridge of India. It was also the longest sea bridge in India with a stretch of 2 KM until 2010 when Bandra-Worli Sea Link (5.6 KM) was opened. This bridge built on the Palk Strait was the only medium of communication between Mandapam mainland and Pamban Island until 1988 when a road bridge was constructed parallel to the railway bridge. The bridge also has a double leaf bascule section which can be raised to let ships pass.
HOW TO TAKE A TRAIN RIDE OVER PAMBAN BRIDGE
Board a train which goes to Rameshwaram. There are two popular trains which cross this bridge to reach Rameshwaram: Kanyakumari-Rameshwaram Express and Chennai Egmore-Rameshwaram Express. Apart from this, there are other passenger trains which you can board depending from where you are coming from.
We were going to Rameshwaram from Madurai during our Rameshwaram-Dhanuskodi trip. So we boarded a passenger train from Madurai Junction which departs at 12:15PM and reaches Rameshwaram at 4PM.
If you have already reached Rameshwaram by road route and want to have this thrill ride, you may consider boarding Rameshwram-Chennai Express which leaves Rameshwaram at 5PM to get the best sunset view from the train with the sea waves dancing under the bridge.
OUR EXPERIENCE OF CROSSING THE PAMBAN BRIDGE
We boarded a passenger train from Madurai at 12PM and the ticket cost was 35 INR. The train was running little late and the weather was hot and humid. The three and a half hour long journey went pretty plain and boring until we saw a few glimpses of the sea, moments before arriving Pamban.
We checked Google Maps which confirmed that our train would start crossing the bridge in a few minutes. We quickly went to the doors to capture the best view of the train crossing the sea. (Please be aware this is not allowed but it sometimes gets impossible to hold ourselves when something fascinating like this is in front of us. Please be cautious while you stand and hold the handle tightly)
The train’s speed was slowed down drastically (we all knew why)! In a few seconds, we found ourselves over the sea. The beauty on both the sides was breathtaking. The view of the blue waters gave us the much needed respite. On the left side of the train was the endless sea. On the right side was running the road bridge parallel to the train bridge.
We got scared to see the sea waves hitting the piers of the bridge. What scared us even more was the rust on those pillars and on the railings of the bridge. The train was moving at a snail’s pace but still it was getting difficult to stand with proper balance.
A lot of people gathered on the road bridge to get a view of the train crossing the bridge from a height. They were waving and cheering from the bridge which doubled our excitement!
We took a few videos and photographs of the magnificent beauty during the journey over the sea. It was surely one hell of an experience! By the way, the Pamban train was so exciting that the next day we went to the road bridge to get a full view of the train crossing this 2km-long bridge. What a view!
INTERESTING FACTS ON PAMBAN BRIDGE
The construction of the bridge started in 1911 and was opened in 1914. So it took almost three years for the entire construction.
After the infamous 1964 Rameshwaram cyclone which completely washed away the town of Dhanuskodi, the Pamban Bridge was badly damaged and it required good amount of repair work.
The 1964 storm also overturned the Pamban-Dhanuskodi passenger train killing all 150 passengers on board.
Let us know in the comment section below if you liked our blog on our train ride over the Pamban Bridge. If you have already been to Rameshwaram by train, share your experience in the comment section below. You can also contact us if you need any information regarding the visit to Rameshwaram and Dhanuskodi or regarding trip to South India.
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