Trade
4 years ago

Move to raise platform height

Most BR projects risk delays

- File photo
- File photo

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A move to raise the level of platforms of all rail stations to train floor height is likely to slow down most development projects of the Bangladesh Railway (BR) and increase the project cost.

The decision taken by the government recently would affect 16 ongoing track and station development projects, as designs of the platforms under these projects need to be changed, sources said.

Earlier, when these projects were mapped out, it was considered that the platform height would be in keeping with the traditional standard.

Presently, there are 466 stations across the country and the distance between train floor and platform is one and a half feet, which makes it difficult for passengers to board the train.

The decision to raise the platform height has also put the BR authorities in a fix as to what would be the right height of the platform considering the fact that two types of trains -- metre gauge and broad gauge -- now ply in the country and their floor heights do not match up, the sources said.

BR has mostly metre gauge tracks in its eastern zone and broad gauge rails in the western zone.

As metre gauge trains have gradually been non-existent worldwide, the BR is now converting most of the metre gauge tracks into dual gauge, keeping scope of running two types of trains on same lines.

More than 250 kilometres of metre gauge rail tracks have been converted into dual gauge.

BR officials said most of its projects need to change the designs of the platforms and that respective project offices would take necessary steps to this end after a survey of the stations.

Their move came in line with the recent decision of the Ministry of Railways to raise the platform height and it will help them plan new projects properly, they said.

"This should have been done long ago, but we could not do it as we did not get approval from the higher authorities," said an official.

BR cannot take any decision or make any plan on its own as it has to strictly follow the codes of railway acts to maintain standards at all stages, he said.

In the current fiscal year, the BR is implementing 36 projects involving Tk 120.89 billion, under which carriages and locomotives would be procured and feasibility study carried out to explore new routes.

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