- 872 accidents, 1019 deaths in last 4 years
- 83 pc accidents caused by derailment
- 5 lakh cubic meters stone shortage in Eastern Railway
- 43 districts has railways & 39 of them have problems
More than half of the country's railway lines are at risk due to various problems. In most cases, the train cannot run at normal speed. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway has ordered to reduce the speed of trains on the pretext of summer heat. Temperatures across the country are close, but this guidance is not given for all places. Messages are being given to reduce the speed of trains in areas where railway lines are at risk.
Although the temperature has been high in Chuadanga for a few days, there has been no order to reduce the speed of trains there. According to a Bangla national daily, although the temperature in Chattogram is relatively low if the heat rises in this region, the speed of the train will be reduced. About 4500 km of railway lines are usable in the country for regular train movement. About 800 km of this railway line is relatively new. 70 percent of the remaining ones have expired. Incidents of train derailments are constantly increasing on these vulnerable railways. Although new railways have been built, many railway lines built during the British period remain.
Currently, 90 percent of the country's total railway lines were built before the partition of the Indian subcontinent, which are not in very good condition, according to information from the Ministry of Railways. Currently, there are railways in 43 districts of the country and 39 of them have problems with railway lines. This condition has arisen due to various reasons including deterioration of rail quality, lack of sufficient stones on the line, and landslides. More than half of the country's railway lines are at risk.
Railway sources say that the whole railway track of the Chattogram zone should follow the thermal instructions. Along with this, Jamalpur, Tongi-Narsingdi section, Gafargaon-Mashakhali section of Dhaka zone, and a region of Rajshahi have to follow the instructions to reduce the speed of trains. It is clear here that heat is emphasized in the eastern part of the railway, but not so much in the western part. An analysis of railway records shows that the railway quality in the eastern region is worse and more risky than that in the western region.
Bangladesh Railway Director General Sardar Shahadat said that only because of the heat, the train speed has been ordered to be reduced. When the heat is low, the train will run at normal speed. This instruction has nothing to do with whether the railway is at risk or not.
Shamsul Haque, infrastructure expert and professor of BUET, is not willing to accept the increase in temperature as the only reason for bending the railway line. He said the rails could bend even if they were prevented from expanding. This requires proper and regular maintenance.
Incidentally, railway accidents are increasing day by day. At the same time, the derailment of moving trains is increasing. In one year, such incidents on the railways have increased by almost 20 percent. According to railway statistics, 83 percent of train accidents occur due to derailment of coaches. A survey was conducted by Bangladesh Railways last year to check the quality and condition of the railway lines. It can be seen that the condition of nearly two thousand kilometers of railway lines and railways in the country is bad.
Railway operations are divided into eastern and western zones. There are now 3 thousand 93 kilometers of railways in the whole country. And there are 4 thousand 438 kilometers of railway lines. However, before the independence of the country in 1969-70, there were 4,448 kilometers of usable railway lines. According to the survey, the problem is more in 16 districts of the eastern region. 150 km of railway line in this part has to be completely renewed. 400 km track has to be changed. About a 200 km route, including sleepers and other equipment has to be changed. There is a shortage of five lakh cubic meters of stone in the Eastern Railway.
Analysis of the railway records showed that there are these problems on the railways in the eastern region including- Chattogram, Feni, Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi, Gazipur, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, and Dhaka.
Meanwhile, the problem is more in the 23 districts of Rajshahi, Dhaka, Rangpur, and Khulna divisions in the western part of the railway. Among these places, where the condition of the railway line is not good, there is talk of speed reduction only due to heat.
According to railway data, accidents increased by 31 in a year. At the same time, the number of train derailments has increased to 20. The Road Safety Foundation, an organization that works on accidents, analyzed the accident reports of the last four years and found that 1019 people died in a total of 872 accidents during this period. At least 502 people were injured in these accidents.
Meanwhile, in case of excessive temperature, instructions have been given to reduce the speed of trains on weak railway lines. The paper speed of trains in the country is 60 to 65 km per hour. It is planned to run the train at a speed of 30 to 40 km per hour, reducing the speed at places. On April 27 last year, seven coaches of a freight train derailed in the Dariyapur area of Brahmanbaria. In this, the line bends 500 meters. On April 28, a carriage of a freight train derailed at Ullapara in Sirajganj. On April 29, the railway line again bent in Brahmanbaria.
In May last year, about 700 meters of railway line partially bent several times in the Dariyapur area of Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila of the Dhaka-Chattogram railway. The concerned authorities cited excess heat as the cause. However, after the inspection, it was found that the post-accident rail line had no fittings, loose nuts, inadequate wooden sleepers, and a lack of stone and soil on the line.
ZH
