Expired Teesta Rail Bridge turns risky

Though the longevity of Teesta Rail Bridge, connecting bordering districts Lalmonirhat and Kurigram expired nearly two decades ago, the bridge continues to be operational in its pitiable state.

Known as the gateway to Lalmonirhat and Kurigram from Rangpur, the 2,100-foot-long railway bridge over the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat Sadar was constructed in 1901 with an expected lifespan of 100 years, said officials of Lalmonirhat Railway Division, adding that at least 10 trains use the bridge every day.

Local sources said hundreds of commuters cross the railway bridge every day risking their lives as the longevity of the age-old bridge expired in 2001.

A visit to the site revealed the sorry state of the bridge. Most of the wooden sleepers on the bridge are damaged and many rail-track clips have been stolen.

Woods used in the Teesta Rail Bridge has started rotting and in many places, there are no iron plates on sleepers. Although the fishplates are supposed to have four bolts, some have only three.

During the war of independence, the Pakistani occupation forces damaged a partial part of the bridge by bombing to disconnect the communication while they were retreating.

After independence, the broken part of the bridge was reconstructed to resume communication. In 1978, wooden slippers were replaced beside the railway track on the bridge for vehicular movement. Hundreds of vehicles including goods-laden heavy trucks ply on the bridge till 2012.

Earlier, the bridge had also been used for road communication beside the railway service for several years. Heavy vehicles like trucks and buses used to move on the wooden docks installed on the bridge. Later in 2012, a separate road bridge was built beside the railway bridge to ease the pressure over the bridge.

The railway ministry had taken up a project to construct a new railway bridge over the Teesta River five years ago considering the risky and dilapidated condition of the existing bridge.

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan visited the expired bridge in 2019 and assured the people that a new railway bridge with a broad gauge track would be constructed on the river very soon. But steps are yet to be taken in this regard.

Lalmonirhat Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Western Railway Abdus Salam said the bridge became vulnerable and risky as its lifespan expired around two decades ago. But at least ten trains cross over the bridge per day risking the lives of hundreds of passengers on board regularly.

He said, no project for the bridge has yet been approved. So there is no allocation of funding for a new bridge. We however always repair it and try to keep it fit for easy movement.

He also hoped that the government will start implementing the project soon, as the bridge is very important to connecting two districts Lalmonirhat and Kurigram.

Locomotive Master Manik Islam said they have to slow down the speed of the train as the train starts shaking while crossing the bridge.

“We fear that the bridge may collapse causing a massive tragic accident as it shakes during the train movements,” he also said.

Abdul Jabbar Miah, a resident of the locale said many visitors come to the bridge site every day to see the age-old structure and to spend their leisure. “The place can be turned into a tourist spot if an amusement park, garden and picnic spots are built under private entrepreneurship and government management.”

A commuter, Abul Hossain of the Robertsonganj area in Rangpur city who frequently travels to Lalmonirhat for business said, the structure has become awfully risky due to the expiration of longevity. It is an urgent need to construct a new railway bridge over the river.

Mahabub Rhaman Habu, a civil society member of the city said the government has given priority to improved communication networks across the country to fasten the growth and economy. He urged the government to take up a project soon to construct a new railway bridge over the river for the advanced communication network in Rangpur region.