The double leaf bascule section of the famous Pamban Railway Bridge linking this island with the main land is to be replaced with leaves made of an alloy of fibre and aluminium at a cost of Rs 40 crore, a senior southern railway official said today.
After the replacement of the section, trains would be able ply at a speed of 25 km per hour instead of the present 15 kmph, SR Chief Engineer Suyambulingam told reporters here after inspecting the bridge.
Though international tenders were sought for construction of the bascule section, there was no response. Hence the railways decided to build the section here itself, at a workshop in Pamban.
The bascule section of the more than a century-old bridge can be raised to let ships and barges pass through.
He said the construction of the bridge would start in March next year and completed in three months.
Train services would be suspended for 15 days during the work, he added.
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