The renovation work of the 348-foot long guarder bridge built with lime-surdki during British rule has been completed.
Pabna June 7, (V7N)- The renovation work of the permanent railway line on the guarder bridge near the Dilpashar Railway Station in Bhangura Upazila of Pabna under the jurisdiction of the Western Region Birds Division Railway has been completed.
109 years ago, during British rule, a 348-foot long 26-number Dilpashar Guarder Bridge with six spans, distinguished by lime and surdki in the middle of bricks and rice husks, was constructed. The guarder bridge had not been renovated before.
On Friday (June 7), relentless efforts of more than a hundred railway workers were completed in just 7 and a half hours from 5 am to 12 noon.
In the section of Kuragacha village (Sirajganj-Ullapara) of Bhangura Upazila in Dilpashar Union of Pabna, the temporary sisicle under the 26-number guarder bridge was removed and a new platform was constructed on top of the newly laid pier with a 348-foot long railway line on the guarder bridge.
Then, the 754-number intercity SilkCity Express from Rajshahi passed through Dhaka via this new guarder bridge.
And from next month, through this guarder bridge, 21 pairs of intercity passenger trains including the domestic Maitri Express, one pair of mail trains, and one pair of freight trains will run at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour.
According to railway sources, the renovation work of the six-month project costing Tk 44 crore was completed in two months and eight days before the monsoon season.
Present at the time were: Chief Extra Chief Engineer of the Western Region Railway, Liakat Sharif Khan, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Shah Sufi Nur Mohammad of the Birds Division, Bridge Engineer Abdur Rahim, Divisional Engineer-2 of Birds Division Birbal Mandal, Assistant Executive Engineer (Bridge) Shipon Ali, Assistant Bridge Engineer Jewel Mia, Assistant Executive Engineer (Path) Ahsanur Rahman, Assistant Executive Engineer (Bridge) Hasan Ali, Assistant Executive Engineer (Work) Atiqur Rahman, and engineer Alamgir Kabir of the contractor company RTCL, along with railway officials and employees.
According to railway sources, due to the excessive weight of the heavy trains, the pier and bed block of the guarder bridge collapsed during the crossing.
As the 26-number guarder bridge was quite risky, the Railway Engineering Division of the Birds Division declared a dead stop. An emergency railway line was laid to allow trains to pass at a speed of 0 kilometers per hour and then continue over the bridge.
Before the renovation work, all trains stopped at the bridge at zero kilometers per hour. Later, after the opt-out (train driver's signature), the trains would pass through the bridge at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour. The dead stop was lifted a month later, and from this route, trains will run at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour.
Assistant Engineer-2 of the Birds Division Railway in Pabna, Birbal Mandal, told Seven News that although the bridges were built during British rule, 25-ton axle loads were still being taken. But due to the passage of a century, the piers and bed blocks of the bridges collapsed during the crossing of heavy trains. The bridge was risky, so Tk 4 crore 44 lakh was spent on renovation.
Assistant Engineer-2 of the Western Region Railway in Pabna, Birbal Mandal, told Seven News that in 1916, trains started running on the Ishwardi-Sirajganj route. After the Awami League came to power in 1998, thinking about the change in the economic condition of the people of North-South Bengal, the railway line was started over the Jamuna River through the Bangabandhu Bridge. In 2008, after the Awami League came to power again, a broad gauge-metre gauge railway line was laid over the Bangabandhu Bridge, and 44 trains, excluding one day of the week, now run daily between North and South Bengal.
Assistant Engineer Asadul Haque Asad of the Western Region Railway told Seven News, "Now people feel quite comfortable boarding trains. The Railway Engineering Department of the Western Region Railway is working to ensure that passengers of travel-loving trains can reach their destinations safely."
He further said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the Ministry of Railways not to have any risky bridges on the railway. Orders were given to renovate the bridges. Following that directive, the Ministry of Railways has undertaken initiatives to rebuild the bridges. The renovation work of five bridges has been completed, and some are ongoing.
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