Restrictions on speed, load continue on Bangabandhu Bridge
Construction of an exclusive rail bridge over the Jamuna has become very crucial as the Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge is now handicapped by various limitations, including restrictions on speed and load of trains.
The government should urgently construct the rail bridge parallel to the Bangabandhu Bridge, suggested experts, as it will be cost effective and can be built within two years.
“If the rail bridge is built to the north of the existing bridge, it would not require the costly river management, land acquisition and approach rail track,” said Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, a civil construction expert.
It does not make any sense running trains on the bridge with so many limitations, he observed.
Though the current bridge has already lost about half of its capacity for developing numerous cracks, the train service over it continues, mentioned officials of Bangladesh Railway (BR).
The government slapped restrictions on load and speed of trains following detection of cracks on the bridge in 2006. Since then successive governments have failed to fix the cracks, compromising the 100 years lifespan of the Tk 4000 crore bridge built by South Korean Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co Ltd.
The Bangabandhu Bridge connects the northern region with the capital. According to its present capacity, 22 trains pass through it in 24 hours.
But there is an increasing demand for running more passenger and freight trains. Passengers often travel standing in compartments due to limited seating capacity, noted BR officials.
The speed limit for trains had been 40 kilometres per hour in the original design, which was reduced to 20 km/h for passenger trains, and 16 km/h for freight trains.
While crossing the bridge, a train cannot haul two locomotives and freight trains must have empty containers in between loaded ones.
Last year the government turned down an Indian proposal to allow their wagons through the bridge due to restrictions, sources in Bridges Division said.
Special safety check for trains before boarding the bridge also eats up 15 to 20 minutes for each train, meaning increased travel time.
“The limiting factors, especially the compulsory speed restriction and safety checks, have reduced the bridge’s sectional capacity,” said a senior BR official.
The sectional capacity indicates the number of trains that can run in 24 hours on a section of railway track.
Regional connectivity through the proposed Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) and transit with India, Nepal and Bhutan will create huge traffic potential for railway, pointed out experts.
The TAR is a project to create an integrated freight railway network across Europe and Asia.
But the country will not be able to capitalise on the opportunity without a dedicated railway bridge on the Jamuna, since rail corridors and transit routes are supposed to use the Bangabandhu Bridge, added the experts.
“Lifespan of the bridge will reduce significantly as the delay in repair resulted in more cracks while expanding the existing ones. It also lacks proper maintenance,” said Khan Mahmud Amanat, a professor of civil engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).
He insisted an exclusive rail bridge is needed not only for domestic and international trains, but also for saving the lifespan of the Bangabandhu Bridge.
BR sources said there is a pressing demand for running an intercity train on Rangpur-Dhaka route while people of Lalmonirhat demanded one more intercity train from the capital. Passengers of Khulna, Bogra, Santahar, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh are also making similar demands.
Chief Engineer of the Bridges Division Md Abdul Wadud said the government has a plan to construct two railway bridges — one parallel to Bangabandhu Bridge and the other connecting Phulchhari and Bahadurabad Ghat in Jamalpur.
The plan is at a very preliminary stage and the ministries concerned are making moves in this regard, he added.
Experts, however, hinted the Phulchhari-Bahadurabad Ghat route will not be viable.
-With The Daily Star input
