Gaibandha Flood
600 wagons stranded as rail tracks damaged in Balashi
At least 600 wagons, some with food grains and fertiliser, are stranded at Balashi and Bahadurabad terminals as railway communication between Trimohoni and Balashi is suspended due to damage of eight kilometers of the railway track by surging flood water.
Western Railway authorities suspended train communication on the route on July 28 as the Balashi railway yard went under four to five feet water when Brahmaputra flood control embankment breached at Singria and Ratanpur in Fulchari on the night of July 26.
According to divisional office of Bangladesh railway (BR) at Lalmonirhat, about 80 meters of a bridge (6-TB) on Alai river collapsed due to strong current of the flood water. Besides, the tracks have become vulnerable at least at 10 points as water washed away the sand underneath, creating large ditches.
Out of nine and half a kilometers railway track between Trimohoni and Balashi ghat, eight kilometers are now damaged, which needs a major renovation to restore the railway link, said Divisional Railway Engineer Masudur Rahman at Lalmonirhat.
This correspondent during a visit to the yard on Saturday saw several large ditches under tracks displaced and twisted by water.
The tracks in the same area also suffered such damage by flood in July 2004 and the railway link remained disrupted for about six months.
BR sources said they will need at least five months to renovate the damaged tracks and restore railway communication on the route. Floating tender and other formalities will need three months and repair could be done in two months, they said.
A provisional proposal involving Tk one crore has been sent to higher authorities and work will begin as soon as funds are available, they said.
BR's divisional traffic superintendent at Lalmonirhat however said they are trying to transship wagons through alternative ways.
Railway authorities in 2005 suspended passenger ferry services between Balashi and Bahadurabad ghats on the plea of recurring losses. Passengers of two inter-city trains running between Dinajpur and Dhaka now cross the river by country boats, taking risk.
The BR authorities however transship wagons through ferry between Balashi and Bahadurabad ghats as this is more profitable than carrying passengers.
But restoration of wagon transshipment between Balashiand Bahadurabad ghats is now possible now as it needs a major renovation of bridges and railway tracks between Trimohoni and Balashi.
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