Chittagong: Severe heat waves are flowing in different parts of the country. During the day, the fire is hot and the sun is shining all around.
People living in extreme heat. The authorities have fixed the speed of passenger and cargo trains on the Eastern Railway due to the fear of bending the railway line this summer.
Additional maintenance of the eastern railway line is going on so that the railway line does not bend in summer. All the train drivers have already been instructed to reduce the speed and run the train. Also the temperature of the railway line is being checked every half hour due to the heat every day. Also, efforts are being made to cool down the bent hot railway lines with drinking water and water.
Mohammad Saiful Islam, Divisional Railway Manager of Eastern Railway, told Banglanews that the temperature of the railway line is being checked every half hour due to the heat. Passenger trains are running at a speed of 40 km per hour and goods trains at a speed of 30 km per hour only when the temperature is recorded at 48-50 degrees Celsius.
Railway Eastern General Manager Nazmul Islam told Banglanews that everyone has been warned after receiving the instructions. Also measuring the temperature of railway lines. Efforts are being made to cool down the railway tracks with water and cooling water where there is a possibility that the railway track may buckle in extreme heat.
It is known that the temperature of 45 to 46 degrees Celsius is considered tolerable on railway lines. If it is hotter than this, there is a risk of accident due to railway line bending. Trains are instructed to slow down to avoid major accidents.
Temperatures between 48 and 50 degrees were recorded on the railway tracks at various places on the Eastern Railway on Monday (April 22). As a result, on this day from noon to afternoon, all types of trains, including inter-city, have been instructed to slow down their speed.
According to meteorologists, the level of heat wave this year is higher than other years due to three reasons. They are – water vapor abnormality, less south-east monsoon and no cyclone formation in the ocean.
Common passengers have demanded increased vigilance on railway lines to make rail journey safe and prevent major accidents. They said that several places in the eastern region had recently recorded temperatures of 38, 39 degrees Celsius. But then the railway line did not bend. A few days ago, the railway line bent in Brahmanbaria and Dhaka. If the line bends again and again like this, a major train accident will occur. That is why the railway authorities have to be more careful.
On April 29, the railway line was bent in Dariapur and Haran areas of Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila. As a result, rail communication between Dhaka and Chittagong and Sylhet on the upline was stopped from 11 o’clock that day. Almost all trains are running late due to schedule disruption. The passengers had to suffer.
Earlier on last Thursday too, 7 coaches of a freight container train bound for Dhaka derailed in Dariyapur area due to excessive heat. About 500 meters of railway track was damaged in that incident, concrete sleepers were broken. About 31 hours after the accident, train movement on the upline was restored after necessary repairs and installation of wooden sleepers.
Bangladesh Time: 1140 hours, April 22, 2024
BE/AC/TC
