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The '''Pamban Branch Railway''' was a metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#REDIRECT Metre_Gauge|MG]]) single line completed in 1914 by the [[South Indian Railway]] Company(SIR).<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamban_Bridge Wikipedia "Pamban_Bridge"]; Retrieved 21 Jun 2016</ref>The line linked the SIR network in India at [[Madura]] by way of the '''[[Pamban Viaduct]]''' with the Island of [[Pambam]], from where there was a ferry connection to [[Ceylon]]. 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. ==Background==A railway to link [[Dhanushkodi]] in India to [[Talaimannar]] in [[Ceylon]], a distance of 22 miles(35km), was a constant challenge to railway engineers. The route would follow the chain of limestone shoals known as "Adam's Bridge" between [[Pamban]] Island (also known as Rameswaram Island), off the Indian south-eastern coast, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Geological evidence suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam%27s_Bridge Wikipedia "Adam's Bridge"]; Retrieved 21 Jun 2016</ref> The route was first considered in 1876 but no definite decision was taken until 1894 with a proposal from the Ceylon Government, followed a year later by a survey by the Indian Government. These proposals were rejected as the outlay was greater than the anticipated traffic would justify and the idea of bridging the sea was abandoned <ref> Southern Railway Heritage Centre "Marvels of the South Indian Railway 1859-1951", pages 63-64 </ref>. The route, described as the '''Madura-Pamban Railway''' in some records, was surveyed by [[Ernest Ifill Shadbolt]] between the years of 1888 and 1893. (see 'Personnel' below) ==History==*1902, the branch of the SIR from [[Madura]] to [[Pambam]] Island was completed as far as [[Mandapam]], a village on the coast on the mainland side of the narrow strait which divides the island from the shore, a distance of 90 miles (145km) <ref>[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_405.gif "Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1906" page 399]; Retrieved 21 Jun 2016</ref>*1908, after much consultion it was decided to build a viaduct from mainland India across the Palk Strait to [[Pamban]] Island with a "Scherzer Rolling Lifting Bridge" over the Pamban Pass shipping passage. The proposal involved:- **A short 6km extension of the existing railway line from [[Mandapam]] to the tip of the coast.**The construction of the 2 km long '''[[Pamban Viaduct]]''' across the submerged reef lying between the mainland of India and the Island of [[Pamban]], this section to include the "Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge".**A 30 km line across Pamban Island via Rameswaram to [[Dhanushkodi]] to connect to the 'Indo-Ceylon Ferry Service'*Work started on the viaduct in June 1911 and completed in June 1913. The line was opened in February 1914 together with the 'Indo-Ceylon Ferry Service' ==Records==An on-line search of the [[India Office Records]](IOR) records relating to this railway <ref>[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=IAMS_VU2 “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search]; Retrieved 26 Jan 2016</ref>gives the following: -*'''L/F/8/16/1095''' “South Indian Railway Company Limited, Contract as to the construction and working of the Pamban Branch and the Travancore Branch; 1901" ==Personnel==No Staff Lists have been found. The “Indian Biographical Dictionary” gives [[Ernest Ifill Shadbolt]], [[Public Works Department]], Executive Engineer from 1888 to 1893 as 'Engineer-in-Chief of the Madura-Pamban Railway Survey ''also Bezwada-Madras and Tinnevelly-Quilon Railway Surveys'' ' <ref>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Indian_Biographical_Dictionary.djvu/430 “Indian Biographical Dictionary” 1915 page 390]; Retrieved on 27 May 2016</ref> ==Further Information==See '''[[South Indian Railway]]'''<br>and '''[[Madras-Dhanushkodi Mainline]]''' == References ==<references /> ==Further Information== See '''[[South Indian Railway]]'''
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:State Railways]]
