Pamban Branch Railway
The Pamban Branch Railway was a metre gauge(MG) single line completed in 1914 by the South Indian Railway Company(SIR). [1] The line linked the SIR network in India with the Island of Rameswaram, Ceylon.
It involved the construction of the Pamban Viaduct across the submerged reef lying between the mainland of India and the Island of Rameswaram. [2]
Prior to the construction of this line, traffic between India and Ceylon was carried via Tuticorin and Colombo, a route which line, which has necessitated a 12-hours' sea journey. This branch then became the main line, extended to Mandapam, on the mainland of India.