Masudul Hasan Masud, Bhuyapur (Tangail)

The name of the new railway bridge built over the river Jamuna is being changed. It is being named 'Jamuna Rail Setu'. The name of this bridge is Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Rail Setu from the time of construction.

Director General of Bangladesh Railway Afzal Hossain confirmed the matter on Sunday.

He said that the name of Yamuna Rail Setu will not be Bangabandhu Rail Setu. It will now be inaugurated as Jamuna Rail Setu. This bridge may be inaugurated in January 2025.

He said that the maximum load capacity of 43.70 kilo-newtons/meter is allowed in the rail connection of the meter gauge at the Bangabandhu multi-purpose bridge on Jamuna. There is no scope to add more coaches to the train, with one line limitation. It takes 25 minutes for each train to cross the 4.8 km bridge at a speed of only 20 km per hour. As there is a line on the bridge, the station on both sides has to wait for a long time for the signal. In total it takes more than an hour to cover only 5 km.

To relieve passengers from this suffering, the previous government on March 3, 2020 approved the plan to construct a 4.80 km long dual gauge double track railway bridge parallel to the Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge. The project cost is estimated at 16 thousand 780 crores. Of this, the government has financed Tk 4,631 crore and Japan's JICA has financed Tk 12,149 crore.

According to the bridge project sources, five Japanese contractors are implementing the project in two packages named WD-1 and WD-2. The WD-1 package is being implemented by Japanese international contracting firm OBAI, TOA Corporation and JEC (OTJ) joint venture. Japanese contractor Yashima is working on the WD-3 package to install the signaling system at two stations on both ends of the bridge.

About this new railway bridge project director Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge Project Director Al Fattah Md. Masudur Rahman said that there is a plan to run broad gauge trains at a speed of 120 km per hour and meter gauge trains at a speed of 100 km per hour through this new railway bridge. But the progress of CBIS work is 40 percent. It may take another two-three months for CBIS to be operational after the bridge is commissioned. As CBIS is not operational, the train speed will be reduced not on the main bridge, but on the two connecting stations of the bridge. As the non-interlink system is in place, when the train enters the loop line of the station, its speed will be reduced to 16 kmph.

38 trains a day are currently running through the old Jamuna bridge. Railways had targeted 88 trains including inter-city, local, commuter and freight trains after the new bridge was commissioned. But that reality is not there in railways.

Director General of Railways Afzal Hossain said that there is a shortage of engines in the railways. I can't give new train even if I want. However, the President requested whether any new trains could be operated for the people of Pabna. We are thinking about that.