Eight fast moving broad-gauge engines landed in Chattogram Port from UK on Saturday as the first shipment of the 40 new engines to be added in Bangladesh Railway. The remaining engines will come in 4 separate shipments.
Eight new engines were unloaded on jetty no. 12 around noon on Saturday.
Railway sources informed the 40 broad-gauge engines are being collected from UK under the railway’s ‘rolling stalk operation development project.’ All of them are to be unloaded in Chattogram Port.
As the shipments were to start reaching Bangladesh from March, first 8 engines were shipped from UK in January this year, said the BR authority.
According to railway authority, after unloading the engines will be moved primarily to Tongi Railway Station and from there to central locomotive workshop through dummy wheels.
Central Locomotive Factory is used for preservation and heavy maintenance work of meter-gauge and broad-gauge diesel locomotives.
Railway officials are hopeful these engines will move the trains at 130 kilometers per hour speed after the completion of trial run and examinations with real wheels.
Divisional Railway manager Sadekur Rahman said the engines reached through meter-gauge bogeys. From Tongi, broad-gauge wheels to be added and from Dhaka diesel shop the engines will be fit-to-run. Later they will be sent to central locomotive workshop.
