Home ›› 11 Jan 2022 ›› Nation
Over 34 per cent of construction work of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge over the Jamuna River has been completed after the progress of the bridge faced a huge setback amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 4.8km-long rail bridge is being built at 300m upstream of the Bangabandhu Bridge to enhance rail connectivity between the capital and the country’s northwestern region, and it is expected to be the largest dedicated rail bridge in the country.
Piling works of 12 pillars were completed, and the bridge is becoming visible gradually, said Engineer Al Fattah Md Mashudur Rahman, director of the project. He said 34 per cent of works of the country’s mega projects were completed.
Railway communication had been introduced between Dhaka and the north and south-western regions of the country first after opening the Bangabandhu Bridge in 1998.
Engineer Rahman said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge on November 29, 2020.
The dual-gauge, double-track bridge will be constructed on 50 piers as the construction works are going on at two ending points of Sirajganj and Tangail. A 7.6km-long double-line railway approach embankment, a 30.73km dual-gauge railway track, and 16 viaducts will be built under the railway bridge project.
Apart from this, the Bangabandhu Bridge East and West stations and yards will be renovated and remodelled.
The project director said that the bridge would be capable of running trains at a speed of 120km per hour on a broad gauge line and 100km per hour on a meter gauge track compared to the present speed of 10kmph on the Bangabandhu Bridge.
The dual-gauge double-track railway bridge will save at least 20 minutes of commute time as no train will have to wait for line crossing.
This will also give the authorities the option to increase the number of both passenger and freight trains, which is expected to develop the country’s rail services and strengthen regional connectivity.
President of Sirajganj Chamber of Commerce and Industries Abu Yousuf said the Bangabandhu Railway Bridge would develop train services. “The bridge will greatly facilitate the overall connectivity and trade activities across the country. This has long been a dream of the people of the district,” he said.
It will also help boost the economy of the northern region of the country, he added.
The bridge is expected to improve the country’s connectivity with neighbouring countries like India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
The project director informed that they had faced no deviation from the design so far, and the contractors are confident about completing the project by the August 9, 2024, deadline because implementation delay also shoots up the cost of construction.
He mentioned that the project work formally started on August 10, 2020, but piling work started on March 22, 2021.
So far, the project work has advanced 34 per cent physically and 22.77 per cent financially, with Tk 38.22 billion total expenditure. The revised cost of the project now stands at Tk 167.81 billion, of which JICA is providing Tk 121.49 billion or 72.40 per cent of the cost and Tk 46.32 billion is borne from the state coffer.
Existing stations at both sides and their signalling and telecommunications systems will be improved as well. The government had to construct a separate bridge on the Jamuna River as trains can run at a speed of only 15km on the Bangabandhu bridge.
“Crossing the bride takes nearly 50 minutes, including 30 minutes passing time and 20 minutes under gear checking for each train,” Al Fattah pointed out.
Besides, goods trains can not ply on the bridge although it is the only means of profit for Bangladesh Railway, he added.
Currently, only 38 trains can run over Bangabandhu Bridge per day. Once the double line bridge comes into operation, 88 to 90 trains can be operated per day, including goods trains, and trains will be able to cross the bridge at a speed of 120km per hour, informed Md Habibe Millat, an incumbent Member of Parliament from the Sirajganj-2 constituency.
