The Pamban Bridge or Indira Bridge (Annai Indira Sethu) named after the ex- Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, is on the Palk Strait & connects Pamban in the island Rameswaram to Mandapam in mainland India. It is a twin bridge system, one (the much older one) is a railway bridge & the newer one is a road bridge constructed in 1988 at a higher level than the older one.The name refers to both the road bridge and the railway bridge, though originally the name Pamban bridge was used to mean the latter. It was India's first sea bridge. It is the second longest sea bridge in India (after Bandra-Worli Sea Link) & is about 2.3 km long. The railway bridge was opened for traffic in 1914. The railroad bridge has a still-functioning double-leaf bascule bridge section that can be raised to let ships pass under the bridge.
The railway bridge historically carried meter-gauge trains on it, but Indian Railways upgraded the bridge to carry broad-gauge trains since 2007. Many ships — cargo carriers, coast guard ships, fishing vessels and oil tankers — pass through the bridge regularly.
The scene of a long train crosssing the sea on this guard-less bridge is really awesome.
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