Chennai, Dec 27 (Reporter) The newly built iconic Pamban Bridge across the sea connecting Mandapam and Rameswaram was 100 per cent ready for operation, Southern Railway Officials said on Friday. They told a group of visiting media contingent from Chennai who were taken to the Pamban Bridge to demonstrate the Vertical Lift Span, which was one of its kind in the country, that allowed ships to pass through, and the ongoing developmental works at the Mandapam Railway Station. The new Pamban Bridge had earlier got the Commissioner of Railway Safety's (CRS) nod after addressing all the issues including signs of corrosion. "The new Pamban bridge is 100 per cent ready for operations", they said. Like the old bridge, the new bridge will also withstand for 100 years and permission has been accorded to operate trains with a speed of 75 kmph, they said. The new Pamban Bridge is a 2,078 meters (2.08 Km) long vertical lift sea bridge that is built parallel to the existing old Pamban Bridge at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. This structure is India's first vertical lift sea bridge. The new bridge has 100 spans across the sea, 99 of which are of 18.3 meters length and one of which (the main span) is 72.5 meters. The officials said the new bridge is three meters higher than the existing bridge. Substructure has been constructed for two Tracks to accommodate future doubling and superstructure is being provided for Single line. Southern Railway worked in coordination with Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) which is the executing agency for the construction of New Pamban Bridge. The objective is to construct a new Pamban bridge with Navigational Lift Span. It was located in the Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu and the new Pamban Bridge will connect Rameswaram island with the Mainland. The Reconstruction of Pamban Bridge was sanctioned under Supplementary demands for Grants 2018-19 on February 20, 2019. The sanctioned cost was Rs.280 crores and the actual cost resulted in Rs.580 crores...////...