The Padma rail link project’s all routes were supposed to be inaugurated in July, but now it is deferred to the end of this year. Public transport experts apprehend that the Bangladesh Railway may face financial losses and logistic problems as the one year of the defect liability period of the project has already started.
The one-year defect liability period is running now, as it starts just after the scheduled time of the project completion, and June 30 was the scheduled time for completing all the work.
If any problem occurs after the defect liability period is over, it has to be fixed with the Bangladesh Railway’s own financing and logistic.
The period of the defect liability mainly covers the identification and rectification of any defect or problem occurring after the opening of the railway. During this period,
the contractor of the project -China Railway Group Limited – is liable to do the identification and rectification of any problem.
The launching is delayed as the construction of the signaling and drainage system of the Bhanga-Jashore section of the project, and the construction of Bhanga Iconic Railway Station and TT Para underpass has not been completed as yet.
The Padma Rail Link Project Director Md Afzal Hossain told The Bangladesh Post, “It may take the last week of October or the first week of November to complete the signaling system. Meanwhile, we will send a summary to the Prime Minister's Office for the launching of the railway. The Prime Minister's Office will decide on the inauguration.”
The Bhanga Iconic Railway Station and TT Para underpass would be completed by December, and some other work might also take some extra time, including the work of the drainage system, he elaborated.
If there was any problem in the railways after June next year, the railways would try to fix the problem with the help of the contractor, as there was three years of time for the defect liability for the signaling system and one year for the civil work, said Md Afzal Hossain.
Public transport Expert and Professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Hadiuzzaman told The Bangladesh Post, “The project completion is delayed. The contractor will not take the responsibility under any circumstances. Due to the delay, the increase in the railway project costs will put an extra pressure on public.”
However, The Bangladesh Post contacted an official of the Chinese contractor for their comment on this issue, but he did not respond.
According to the project report, the progress of the entire Dhaka-Jashore-169-kilometre project was 95 percent in June. On the other hand, the progress of the already inaugurated Mawa-Bhanga section is 99 percent and of Dhaka-Mawa section is 95.5 percent. However, although the progress of Bhanga-Jashore section is 95.51 percent, the main work of signaling and drainage systems of this section has not been completed.
Out of 17 stations, the building construction work of four stations and the work of the signaling system of six stations has not been completed, according to the report.
Two months ago, Railway Minister Zillul Hakim said, "Another train will be launched from Bhanga to Benapole via Khulna and Jashore within the next two months".
Former railway minister Nurul Islam Sujan last year said that the Padma rail project would be inaugurated in June 2024.
The Padma rail project will reduce the distance of the Dhaka-Jashore route from 367 km to 195 km. Earlier, it took 10 hours to travel on this route, but after the inauguration, it will take only three hours.
According to some Railway officials, there are a lot of risk factors if the inauguration is held before completing the signaling system. In that case, fatal accidents can also happen.
The project completion period has been extended four times since the beginning of the project in 2016.
