Talaimannar Pier and Railway Station

Talaimannar Pier and Railway Station
The Talaimannar Pier and railway station are located in Talaimannar in Mannar District, Sri Lanka. History The proposal to build a rail bridge across the Palk Strait was originally brought forward by the British government in 1894, in order to facilitate the transportation of workers from Tamil Nadu, India for the tea plantations in Sri Lanka. In 1902, the rail line between Colombo and Kankesanturai was opened and a branch of this railway line was built in 1913, linking Madawachchiya and Talimannar Pier. The Talaimannar station was opened on 24 February 1914. The pier and railway station functioned in 1914 to ferried passengers between Talaimannar and Dhanuskodi (Rameswaram, India) At the time, it was considered the cheapest mode of transport of passengers and goods between the two neighbors. In 1967, both piers at Talaimannar and Dhanuskodi were damaged by the "Dhanuskodi Cyclone" which caused to suspend of the ferry service between the two countries. Three years later, th…