The railway bridge in Sitakunda is in danger of collapsing again

Dhaka Times Desk It has been reported that the railway bridge, which cut off the connection between Chittagong and the capital due to its collapse, is about to collapse again.

The railway bridge that collapsed due to heavy rains and landslides in Sitakunda's Madambibirhat area was temporarily made suitable for train traffic, but due to lack of full renovation, the bridge collapsed again due to heavy rains and there is a fear of a serious accident.

According to the related sources, the bridge number 34 of the railway eastern area located on the east side of the Madambibirhat navigate area of Bhatiari union of the upazila collapsed on June 26 around 8 pm. Due to this, railway communication with Chittagong across the country was cut off. The next day, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader came to the scene and talked to the engineers and told reporters that it will take at least 15 days to make the bridge suitable for rail traffic. Meanwhile, just one day after the minister's announcement, the authorities started running trains on a single line from 1.30 pm on June 28. But the authorities hastily normalized the railway traffic. Meanwhile, according to the Meteorological Office, there is a possibility of heavy rainfall several more times this season. If there is another heavy rain, there is a fear that it will collapse at any moment and fall under the hands of a moving train.

Recently, during the inspection of the above-ground bridge, it is seen that the western side of the two train lines is hanging in the void as there are no poles below. And the line on the eastern side is standing at risk. At present, at least 20-25 yards of the railway line around the bridge is in a very dangerous condition, but the authorities are running a train over it by somehow erecting a line.

Meanwhile, even though the train is running, there are big cracks on both sides of the bridge. But the upper lines of the bridge have been tied with thick ropes and wires to keep the train running smoothly. However, the authorities are making an alternative temporary line to repair the broken line. In this regard, Senior Sub Station Engineer Kamal Hossain said that passenger trains are being run for the time being by renovating the east side line to start railway communication with Chittagong. However, he admitted that there is a risk of the bridge collapsing again if there is any subsidence in the current condition. However, a temporary line alternative to a permanent solution is underway. In this regard, Sitakunda Railway Station Master Motilal Barua said that now only passenger trains are running on the down line.

If this bridge is not repaired on an urgent basis, there is a possibility of an accident, and the railway connection with the capital Dhaka may be cut off again.