Railways forms panel after CRS flags ‘lapses’ in new Pamban bridge

While the Rail information auditor CRS gave motion for the question of trains connected the span with conditions, it came down heavy connected the railways and said that the contiguous span sets a atrocious example, with “glaring lapses” close from readying signifier to its execution.

“This caller important span has been constructed to regenerate the existing span opened successful the twelvemonth 1914, which has a double-leaf bascule conception with a Scherzer rolling benignant assistance span that tin beryllium raised the fto ships pass. While the operation of the erstwhile span much than 100 years agone is method marvel considering overmuch lesser availability of exertion backmost successful those days and considering the corrosive situation that it has withstood, I americium constrained to constituent retired that, successful stark contrast, the contiguous span sets a atrocious illustration of constructing an important structure, what with glaring lapses close from readying signifier to its execution,” said AM Chowdhary, CRS, Southern Circle, successful its study dated November 26, 2024.

The Pamban Bridge is 2.05 km agelong span with a unsocial 72 m Vertical Lift span, 1 of its benignant successful the country. CRS flagged aggregate violations for not pursuing modular plan of RDSO, a railways body. “The assistance span girder was non-RDSO modular and designed utilizing overseas codes which entailed relation of RDSO successful the project. However, from the persual of records, it is evident that, with the enactment of Railway Board, RDSO shunned its work successful the plan of the girder,” the study said.

“It is confirmed that the span has been constructed with authorities of Art plan and the champion operation practices. It is cleared for cognition by Commissioner of Railway Safety. Further points raised by CRS volition beryllium complied successful total,” said the Ministry.

“For readying of specified important bridges, determination is simply a modular signifier of enactment of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). However, arsenic a fallout of the determination taken to dissociate RDSO from the project, this was besides not done successful the lawsuit of Pamban bridge. It was unfortunate that Railway Board had been flouting its ain gudlines,” said the CRS, whoes support is required earlier the cognition of immoderate caller railway lines.

The information auditor besides said that the dissociation of RDSO with the task resulted successful superior consequences and has resulted successful 36% simplification successful the accent carrying capacity.

“The Fabrication Inspection Unit (FIU) of Southern Railway could not spervise and could not trial cheque 20% test-checks. FIU has done tests of the welds done successful the store and deliberately avoided the field-welds,” reads the study further.

It besides said that the capable measures person not been taken to code the contented of corrosion adjacent erstwhile the span is stated to beryllium successful the second-worst corrosive situation successful the world. The components of the span person already started corroding.

Ministry of Railways said that the plan the span has been done by a TYPSA, an International Consultant. “The span is designed with European and Indian Codes. Its plan was impervious checked by IIT, Chennai. Being designed by Foreign Consultant, Railway Board envisaged method regulation successful introspection of plan by Railways and RDSO. Railway Board decided connected further impervious cheque of plan by IIT, Mumbai. After treble impervious check, the plan of Bridge has been approved by Southern Railway. So, the span has been constructed based connected plan by a reputed International Consultant duly impervious checked by 2 astir premier Institutes of the country,” said the Ministry.

Ministry said that for corrosion protection, peculiar coating strategy utilized successful utmost corrosion prone areas successful the satellite utilizing polysiloxane overgarment with a plan beingness of 35 years, has been implemented.