Rameshwaram, May 28 (PTI) The construction of the new Pamban Bridge, a Railways' engineering marvel, will be completed by December with an estimated cost of Rs 560 crore, officials said Saturday.

The two-km long bridge is India's first vertical lift sea bridge which would open upwards to let big ships pass through. It is being developed by the Railway Vikas Nigam Limited.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: Temperature to Rise in Northwest And Central India in Next Few Days, Moderate Rainfall Likely Over Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar.

While an over 100-year old bridge is already in service, the new one will be more advanced and technologically robust.

Trains can run at a maximum speed of just 10kmph on the existing bridge, while on the new bridge they can go up to 80 kmph, the officials said.

Also Read | COVID-19 in Maharashtra: Four Cases of BA.4, Three of BA.5 Omicron Sub-Variants Detected For First Time.

The upcoming bridge will be a boon for devotees and pilgrims who wish to embark on a spiritual journey to Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi.

The old bridge is single-line, non-electrified section, whereas the new one will be a double-line, electrified railway track.

Freight trains were banned on the old bridge, but they will be allowed on the new one, the officials said.

The new bridge was to be operationalised last year in September, but it was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)