India's first vertical sea-lift bridge was inaugurated by PM Modi on Sunday in Rameswaram. Also known as the 'Pamban' Bridge, it will provide a rail link between Rameswaram and the mainland. A new Rameswaram-Tambaram train service was also flagged off at the event, set to begin operations on April 7. The bridge, built at a cost of Rs 550 crores, spans 2.08 kilometers and can be raised up to 17 meters, allowing the smooth passage of large ships. The bridge is located about 12 km from the Rameswaram bus stand and 13 km from the Rameswaram railway station. If you're keen to visit the spot as a tourist, here's what you should know, along with some exclusive insights shared by Manorama correspondent Jerin Joy, who was in Rameswaram to report the inauguration of the new bridge:

Check out the bridge on trains
1) Board a train from Mandapam station on the mainland to Rameswaram island to check out the bridge. After the new bridge was built, most trains on the route have now been extended to Rameswaram. 
2) There is also a new train service, the Tambaram - Rameswaram- Tambaram Express, which was flagged off today, on the route. It covers 618 km in 11 hours. It will leave Tambaram at 6.10 pm and reach Rameswaram at 5.40 am. It leaves Rameswaram at 4 am and reaches Tambaram at 3.45 am.

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It has 1 AC two tier coach, 5 AC three tier coaches, 6 sleeper class coaches, 4 general second class coaches, 1 second class coach that is divyangjan friendly and 1 luggage cum brake van. Its ticket booking has begun, and the sleeper class costs Rs 350, the AC 3 tier is Rs 950, and the AC 2 Tier is Rs 1,355. 
3) The train's stops are Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Tiruppadiripuliyur, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Thiruthuraipoondi, Pattukottai, Aranthangi, Karaikudi, Sivaganga, Manamadurai, Paramakkudi and Ramanathapuram. 

Explore the spot on road
1) You can check out the road by driving through the Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge, also called the Pamban Road Bridge. 
2) The road bridge is about a kilometre from the Mandapam Railway station.
3) Stopping your vehicle on the bridge to check out the new sea-lift bridge would be risky, but you can consider parking the vehicle before or after passing the bridge to do the same. There are cameras installed and constant police patrolling in place on the bridge, and stopping there can invite fines. 
4) Until the old, decommissioned Pamban railway bridge is demolished, you can also check it out from there. 
5) On the way, you can also buy palm sugar candy, or panamkalkandam, and dried fish sold by the roadside by the local people. 

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Other tourist spots nearby
1) Dhanushkodi
2) Arichalmuna, the nearest Indian spot to Sri Lanka. You can check out the Ram Sethu from here with binoculars. 

Distance from Kerala
Chennai to Rameswaram - 559 km
Kochi to Rameswaram - 439 km
Thiruvananthapuram to Rameswaram - 383 km
Kozhikode to Rameswaram - 519 km
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