Railways aims to repair Kalurghat Bridge by June, tender next month

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) is expected to open a call for bids next month to renovate the Kalurghat Bridge over the River Karnaphuli in Chattogram, in line with the completion of the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar rail line. 

The much-anticipated Dhaka-Cox's Bazar train service is set to open in June this year. 

A feasibility study for repairing the bridge is now almost in the final stages, Md Jahangir Hossain, general manager of BR east zone, told The Business Standard.

"A call for tender will be issued next March…It is necessary to repair the bridge for train movement on the Cox's Bazar route," he added. 

Earlier on 18 January this year, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said work was underway to complete the Chattogram-Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Rail Link Project between June and July this year.  

According to the BR engineering department data, carrying loads more than 10 tonnes on the Kalurghat Bridge would not be possible, which may extend up to maximum 12-15 tonnes once the train service is launched. 

In addition, plying broad-gauge trains on the nearly-century-old bridge will not be possible, while the metre-gauge trains will have to run slower.    

Meanwhile, more than 80% of the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar rail project has been completed, making over 70 kilometres of rail tracks visible. 

However, passenger trains on the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar route are expected to operate from September or October this year.

In October 2021, a consultant team from BUET comprising Dr AFM Saiful Amin, professor of BUET Civil Engineering Department, Prof Dr Khan Mahmud Amanat and Prof Dr Abdul Jabbar Khan visited the bridge to assess it at the invitation of the BR engineering department.

In December of the same year, they submitted a report to BR east zone additional chief engineer (bridge) Ahsan Jabir where they pointed out six major defects, including cracks in the protection wall of the bridge's approach road in Jan Ali Hat.

However, in April last year, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, president of the parliamentary standing committee on railways, said the existing bridge will be much stronger after repairs. 

But the trains will have to cross the bridge at low speeds, he mentioned.

The government earlier decided to build a two-tier road-cum-rail bridge across the River Karnaphuli, similar to Padma Bridge, which will take seven years to complete.