Padma Bridge authority gives nod to rail link construction
The authority of Padma Bridge has formally given permission to begin the construction work of the Padma Bridge Rail Link project, an outcome of the cooperation between the governments of China and Bangladesh, which has been undertaken by CREC (China Railway Engineering Corporation).
The bridge and railway authorities jointly confirmed the matter after inspecting the bridge on Sunday morning.
"The railway authorities have been given the permission to begin the construction of the rail link today following a meeting that was held a day before," Padma Bridge Executive Engineer Dewan Abdul Quader confirmed.
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"The entire Padma Bridge management will be under the bridge authority while only the rail communication via the bridge will be under a separate railway authority," he noted.
After the initial inspection, Brigadier General Saeed Ahmed, manager of rail link project-1 on the Mawa-Bhanga section, said that some crucial work is yet to be done before commencing the rail link project.
"It is a technical matter, so, it can't be concluded just by gauging with human eyes," Saeed Ahmed said adding that a technical inspection will be conducted soon.
"We would need one week for technical observation. If vibration on the bridge is found to be strong, we will begin with experimental work, and if not, the main construction work will begin."
He hoped that the rail link construction work will not cause any disruption to regular traffic.
Padma Bridge, the country's biggest self-financed mega project, opened to traffic on 26 June.
