As per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directive, the ministry of railways has taken all out measures to repair the all identified risky railway bridges, culverts and tracks as well across the country. Earlier on Tuesday the Prime Minister ordered to conduct a countrywide structural survey on rail and road bridges and culverts to find if they need to be repaired.
Railways Secretary Mofazzal Hossain told Bangladesh Post that they have strengthened field level activities to keep the railways safe and usable. If negligence is found with regard to keeping the rail tracks safe and bringing necessary repairs, serious actions will be taken against concerned officials. According to sources, at least 50 projects along with a 30-year long master plan are under implementation to turn the railways into a modern one.
In line with this move, the government also takes projects to operate speedy bullet train and electric train. Apart from this, the government is launching new rails every year. However, amid government’s multiple initiatives to modernize the country’s railway sector, many parts of rail tracks across the country still remain worn out, raising the risk of serious accidents.
Sources said those officials are responsible for taking care of the rail tracks, mostly are not performing as per duty given them. That is why the government could not detect the rail problems and take steps to resolve them. The country’s total rail line is 3333-kilometer long of which several parts are not safe to run trains due to scattered fishplate, clip, hook, they said.
Even the condition of slippers in many parts, which make the rail tracks strong and sustainable, is also seriously fainted. Besides, the stones that keep the slipper on point are not adequate in many parts of rail tracks. Apart from this, almost all rail bridges are frail as 90 percent of these bridges were built during the British rule. The trains of many routes pass these bridges taking risks of serious accidents.
Senior rail officials fear that any grim accident like Kulaura that happened last week, might occur again. Sources said the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after Kulaura rail accident ordered the authorities concerned to repair all hazardous rail bridges, culverts and rail tracks before the beginning of monsoon. However, any apparent step has yet been found to resolve the problems, they said. “New rail tracks are being built and the old tracks are being repaired. The government takes huge development projects to make the rail sector sustainable and vibrant. So we all together have to work to continue this success,” Mofazzal Hossain said.
“The rail accident due to faulty rail line is quite unacceptable. We must overcome it,” he added. According to report jointly conducted by Railways Ministry and Railways Division, small and medium range rail accidents occur almost every day and 90 percent of these accidents occur only not for having enough stone on rail tracks. Besides, broken slipper, clip, hook, and absence of fishplate are also reasons behind these accidents. Ninety percent of rail bridges were built in British period of whose mostly are risky, the report says.
It costs annually Tk 33 crore to set stones on rail tracks across the country whereas it costs monthly Tk 8 crore recover damaged railway bogeys and engine as well as to repair the tracks after derailments. If the rail tracks are kept under monitoring and repaired properly such accidents could easily be avoided.
A railway engineer on condition to remain anonymous told Bangladesh Post that thousands of rail slippers across the country are worn out and nut-bolt, hook, fishplates are also fragile in many places.
“The highly placed officials of ministry are busy at executing different projects. So they are apathy to look over the field level problems,” he said. The railway is consisted of East and West zones and many parts of these two zones are decrepit. A senior official of engineering department of East zone said most of the way-man employed in the last few years, are unwilling to carry out their duty properly in field. The scenario is in many extents alike in Western zone.
An official of Dhaka divisional railway office said there are many faults in the rail tracks of Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Mymensingh routes. Despite being informed the higher authorities of railways did not yet take any effective measures to repair these lines, raising the risks of accidents. Director General of Bangladesh Railway Kazi Rafiqul Alam told media that all of their achievements are being shaded with the worn out rail lines. “Rail line is the pivotal element for in railway department. If it runs with faults no development will not be sustainable,” he said.
