Bangladesh Railway
Bangladesh Railway ( BR , Bengali বাংলাদেশ রেলওয়ে ) is the state-owned railway company that operates all rail traffic in Bangladesh . The company is subordinate to the Ministry of Railways of Bangladesh. The main characteristic of rail traffic in Bangladesh is the coexistence of two different gauges , the Indian broad gauge (1676 mm, 5½ feet ) and the meter gauge (1000 mm). The approximate dividing line between the two track systems is the Ganges or the Padma . This dualism goes back to the British colonial era. In recent years there have been efforts to increasingly expand or build new lines as three- rail tracks ( dual gauge ) and to convert them completely to broad gauge in the long term. Bangladesh Railway currently has 25,083 regular employees (as of October 2014). The company's general manager is Amzad Hossain.
Characteristics of the railway network of Bangladesh
| Operating condition | Meter gauge | Broad gauge | 3 rails | total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in operation | total | 1,784.68 | 507.10 | 364.15 | 2,655.93 |
| West zone | 501.64 | 507.10 | 280.55 | 1289.29 | |
| East zone | 1283.04 | 0 | 83.60 | 1366.64 | |
| shut down | total | 53.65 | 175.09 | 0 | 228.74 |
| West zone | 29.51 | 175.09 | 0 | 204.60 | |
| East zone | 24.14 | 0 | 0 | 24.14 | |
| total | 1,838.33 | 682.19 | 364.15 | 2884.67 | |
Currently (as of 2015), the rail network of Bangladesh Railway covers 2,884.67 kilometers. In 1970, shortly before the independence of Bangladesh, the total route length was 2,858 kilometers. The total length was reduced to 2,656 km by 2006 as a result of line closures. Since independence, 138.89 km of new lines have been built (103.7 km of which are three-rail tracks) and 228.74 km have been closed.
Because of the two different gauges, the railway administration of Bangladesh Railway is divided into two "zones", the East Zone and the West Zone . The east zone has 1,390.78 kilometers, which are predominantly meter gauge, with the network being predominantly single-lane. Only part of the important Dhaka - Chittagong route is two-lane. Further routes are currently being expanded. In 2015, the western zone comprised 1,289 km of mostly broad-gauge railway lines, 96 kilometers of which were two-lane.
Compatibility with the gauges and specifications of neighboring countries
Bangladesh is almost completely surrounded by Indian territory. Only in the southeast is there a comparatively short section of the border with Myanmar . In all of Southeast Asia, from Singapore to Vietnam and Myanmar to the Indian border near Tamu, the railways are laid out in meter gauge. In Bangladesh, the dividing line between meter and broad gauge runs roughly along the Ganges or the Padma . Both gauges exist in the area between Jamuna and Ganges. To the east and north of it the meter gauge prevails, to the west of it the broad gauge. The route network of Indian Railways , like that of Pakistan Railways, is predominantly broad gauge. The meter-gauge lines, some of which exist in India, are gradually being converted to broad gauge (Project Unigauge). In the Asian countries outside the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, such as the People's Republic of China , Iran or Turkey , neither wide nor meter gauge , but the standard gauge of 1435 mm gauge is used.
Currently, Bangladesh Railway has several rail links to the Indian rail network, but no direct link to Myanmar's railways. The long-term goal of Bangladesh Railway is the complete conversion to broad gauge, just like in India. However, this will be a task for decades, also because the existing locomotives and wagons in meter gauge will be in use for a long time.
Another aspect of compatibility concerns the maximum permissible axle load . In Bangladesh it is 22.5 tons, in India 22.82 tons and in Pakistan it varies between 17.27 and 22.86 tons. India plans to gradually increase this figure to 25 tons. This measure relates more to heavy goods transport, which is why no major incompatibilities are expected here. The braking systems have so far been inconsistent between India and Bangladesh. While Indian Railways has largely switched to air brakes , Bangladesh Railway is still in the process of converting its suction air brake systems to air brakes.
Passenger numbers and freight traffic
| year | Passenger number (millions) |
Passenger kilometers (billions) |
Average distance traveled (km) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| east | west | total | east | west | total | east | west | total | |
| 1970 | k. A. | k. A. | 72.9 | k. A. | k. A. | 3.3 | k. A. | k. A. | 45.5 |
| 1995 | 22.5 | 17.7 | 39.6 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 129.4 | 63.5 | 101.8 |
| 2005 | 26.9 | 15.6 | 42.3 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 114.5 | 69.1 | 98.6 |
The total number of passengers transported by rail in Bangladesh fell significantly between 1971 and 2005 (by about 42 percent, from 72.9 to 42.3 million), although the country's population roughly doubled during this period. The total transport performance ( passenger-kilometers ) increased by around 26 percent in the same period (from 3.3 to 4.2 billion). This reflects a changed usage behavior. The average distance traveled has more than doubled.
According to Bangladesh Railway's own assessment, punctuality, train delays and the failure of train connections are significant problems. The average punctuality is given as 60%. In 1970 this was still over 80%. Another serious weak point is the low average cruising speed of around 32 km / h. Almost half of the route network has speed restrictions of 50 km / h or less. A major reason for this is the relatively poor or outdated condition of the railway infrastructure (tracks, bridges, etc.). Another reason are the numerous level crossings without gates.
| year | Freight (million tons) |
Tonne kilometers (millions) |
Average transport distance (km) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| east | west | total | east | west | total | east | west | total | |
| 1970 | k. A. | k. A. | 4.87 | k. A. | k. A. | 1265 | k. A. | k. A. | 259.3 |
| 1995 | 1.65 | 1.42 | 2.73 | 488 | 271 | 760 | 296.2 | 190.5 | 278.5 |
| 2005 | 1.36 | 2.34 | 3.21 | 402 | 415 | 817 | 295.9 | 176.7 | 254.7 |
With regard to freight transport, the relative share of rail in total freight transport in Bangladesh has decreased significantly in the last few decades. Since 1971 it has fallen from about 30 to about 5 percent. In absolute numbers, too, there was a decrease from 49 million tons in 1970 to 32 million tons in 2005. The reasons given for this were poor administration of the railways, low investments and insufficient maintenance of the rail network infrastructure. During the same period, the network of paved roads increased from 3,000 kilometers to around 50,000 kilometers. Around 80 to 85 percent of goods transport today takes place on the road.
An exception is container transport , which has annual growth rates of 5–10%. The type of goods transported has changed significantly over the years. While in 1970 292,000 tons of cement, 138,000 tons of coal, 664,000 tons of jute and 246,000 tons of raw sugar were transported, these goods had almost completely disappeared from the rails in 2005. In 1970 there was still no container transport, whereas in 2005 it was 530,000 tons. The average transport speed of freight trains is 23 km / h, which is very low compared to other Asian countries.
Locomotives and wagons
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
The Bangladesh Railway locomotives that operate on the meter-gauge lines are either diesel-electric or diesel-hydraulic tractors. Most of them are of North American origin (e.g. Alco or General Motors ). Some machines were imported from Hungary. In the 1990s, 21 MEL 15 locomotives from Germany and 10 MED 14 locomotives from India were acquired.
The number of locomotives in 2012/13 was 295, of which 217 were meter-gauge and 78 broad-gauge locomotives. There were also 1489 passenger cars (1165 meter gauge, 324 broad gauge) and 13,050 freight cars (10,383 meter gauge and 2667 broad gauge).
Accidents
Overall, train traffic is one of the safest modes of transport in Bangladesh and is many times safer than road traffic (measured in accidents per passenger kilometer). Nevertheless, there have been several accidents with serious damage to property and personal injury in the past. In 2009 and 2010 there were 60 and 59 deaths in railway accidents. The main risk of accidents are the many level crossings. Probably the most serious accident to date occurred on January 16, 1989 in a head-on collision between two trains near Maizdi Khan, between Dhaka and Tongi, with at least 110 dead.
Expansion plans, connection to the Indian rail network
While there were no borders to overcome in the region at the time of British India, this changed after the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947. The last rail connections between India and what was then East Pakistan were closed after the Second Indo-Pakistani War . After the independence from Bangladesh in 1971/72, railway connections were activated again, but later due to political differences during the time of the military regime in Bangladesh from 1975 to 1990 they were no longer maintained. Since the Awami League government under Hasina Wajed took office after the parliamentary elections in 2008 , Bangladesh's relations with India have improved significantly. Both countries are working towards more intensive economic and political cooperation. The two large seaports of Bangladesh, Chittagong and (to a lesser extent) Mongla would in principle have the potential to become the main hubs for the north-east of India. The traffic connection from the metropolis of Kolkata to Assam would be much easier and more direct to ensure via Bangladeshi territory than via the Indian " chickens neck " at Shiliguri . At the moment, however, the infrastructural requirements for this are largely lacking. The port of Mongla is currently not even connected to the railway network. India and Bangladesh have signed a series of agreements that link the two-way rail networks. An essential point here is the conversion and expansion of important Bangladeshi routes to broad gauge or dual gauge. Bangladesh is supported in these construction projects by Indian loans. As a prelude to closer cooperation, a direct train connection between Kolkata and Dhaka, the Maitree Express (“Friendship Express”) was set up on April 14, 2008 (the beginning of the New Year according to the Bengali calendar ) .
In the longer term, there are visions that Bangladesh could become a major transport hub within the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network, which is to form a broad rail corridor from Southeast Asia to Europe.
The following two routes, among others, are to be expanded in the near future:
- Tongi - Akhaura - Laksham - Chittagong , and
- Tongi-Akhaura- Kulaura - Shahbazpur / Mohisasan (India)
This includes a two-track expansion in sections and a later conversion to a three-rail track.
After the opening of a 61 km long section on April 18, 2015, a total of 153 km of the 321 km long Dhaka-Chittagong railway line had two lanes (initially in meter gauge). This shortened the travel time by 30 minutes. On the same day the foundation stone was laid for the further expansion of the Laksham - Akhaura railway line to a three- rail track and a double track. The expansion should be completed by 2020. Funding is provided by the Asian Development Bank , the European Investment Bank and the Government of Bangladesh.
A railway connection is to be established between Agartala (India) and Akhaura (Bangladesh) by the end of 2017, so that the northeastern Indian states will have a railway connection to Bangladesh and thus access to the port of Chittagong. The long-neglected and finally shut down railway connection between the border stations of Shahbazpur in Bangladesh and Mohisasan in Assam is to be reactivated and the connecting lines are to be expanded.
| Border stations | in operation since | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gede (West Bengal, India) - Darsana (Bangladesh) |
since 1972 |
| 2 | Singhabad (West Bengal, India) - Rohanpur (Bangladesh) |
since 1992 |
| 3 | Petrapole (India) - Benapole (Bangladesh) |
since 2001 |
| 4th | Radhikapur (India) - Birol (Bangladesh) |
Since April 1, 2005 out of service † |
| 5 | Mahisasan (Assam, India) - Shahbazpur (Bangladesh) |
out of service since December 1996 †† |
| 6th | Agartala (Tripura, India) - Akhaura (Bangladesh) |
Opening planned for 2017 |
|
† due to track incompatibility: expanded to broad gauge on the Indian side , the expansion is still missing on the Bangladeshi side †† the route is in poor condition, operations have ceased due to |
||
Web links
- Bangladesh Railway Internet portal (Bengali / English)
- Dhaka to Tangail by Bangladesh Railway , impression of a journey with the Intercity (YouTube video)
- Islampur to Jamalpur JN: by Bangladesh Railway , Brahmaputra Express from Islampur to Jamalpur (YouTube video)
Individual evidence
- ^ BR in short. Bangladesh Railway, October 14, 2014, accessed March 28, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Assessment of Current Situation. (PDF) Bangladesh Railway, March 23, 2015, accessed on March 27, 2016 (English, on the associated website the date of the last update is March 23, 2015, but it is unclear whether this information refers to this document in Whole refers).
- ↑ 3 ANALYSIS OF PROBLEMS. (PDF) Bangladesh Railway, accessed on April 27, 2016 (English).
- ↑ 4 OPPORTUNITIES FOR BANGLADESH RAILWAY. (PDF) Bangladesh Railway, accessed on March 27, 2016 (English).
- ↑ STATISTICAL POCKETBOOK OF BANGLADESH-2013: 8.01 Transport, Storage and Communications. (PDF) (No longer available online.) P. 243 , archived from the original on March 5, 2016 ; accessed on March 28, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Shahnaz Parveen: 2010 sees 590 train accidents. The Daily Star, December 10, 2010, accessed March 28, 2016 .
- ↑ Kailash Sarkar: Unmanned level crossings a death trap. (No longer available online.) Dhaka Tribune, August 2, 2014, archived from the original on March 28, 2016 ; accessed on March 28, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 110 Killed as Trains Collide in Bangladesh. Los Angeles Times, January 16, 1989, accessed March 28, 2016 .
- ↑ Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express flagged off. The Times of India, April 14, 2008 Retrieved on 2 April 2016 .
- ↑ Hasan Jahid Tusher: Dhaka-Ctg train trip gets faster. The Daily Star, April 18, 2015, accessed March 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Agartala-Akhaura rail link gets boost. The Times of India, February 10, 2016, accessed March 30, 2016 .
- ^ Agreement signed on Kulaura-Shahbazpur rail rehabilitation. Daily Sun, August 13, 2015, accessed April 3, 2016 .
- ↑ Nilotpal Bhattacharjee: Rail link talks in border meet. The Telegraph (Calcutta), December 4, 2015, accessed April 3, 2016 .
- ^ Progress in Rail Sector Between India and Bangladesh. Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Railways, July 27, 2015, accessed April 1, 2016 .
