he Bangladesh Railway (east zone) of the country suffered at least 18 train accidents throughout 2014 in the Brahmanbaria district alone. Most of the accidents happened due to the derailment of container trains.
Faulty rail lines and mechanical and engineering glitches have been quoted as the reasons behind the rampant mishaps.
The major rail line of the country also faced losses in the last year as number of passengers reduced due to schedule failures and service disruptions caused by rampant accidents.
Akhaura Station Master Motaleb Hossain said a total of 430,404 passengers travelled through the eastern railway in 2012-2013 fiscal year. But the number came down to 385,231 in 2013-2014.
As a result, the railway incurred a huge loss despite doubling the fare. In 2012-2013 the total income from the ticket sales was more than Tk3 crore. However, the figure was almost the same in 2013-2014 despite the increased fare.
According to Akhaura rail junction, a container train derailed at the beginning of the year on January 31 near Ashuganj. It halted the Dhaka-Chittagong and Sylhet trains for about three hours. On February 9, another train derailment near Akhaura’s Gangashagor area snapped Dhaka-Sylhet connection for six hours.
Within the next three months, five more accidents happened increasing the number to 18 till November.
Station Master of Gangashagor station Zakir Hossain said: “Most of the trains that derailed in this area were container trains. The loop of this line is weak. That is why the container trains have been using the main line.”
He further added that Gangashagor was the most accident-prone area since the rain lines there had not been repaired for a long time.
Though materials for repairing the lines had already been brought in and the railways minister Mujibul Haq inaugurated the project, the main work is yet to begin.
As per the project plan, the 180 kilometre line from Ashuganj to Feni’s Chinki Astana will be replaced costing about Tk299 crore.
Assistant Executive Engineer of Akhaura junction Kazi Mustafizur Rahman said: “There will be no accidents once the project is implemented. Rail lines, bridges, and signalling system will also be improved under the project.”
When asked about the frequent accidents in the Gangshagor area, he blamed the quality of the soil which deteriorates during the monsoon.
