Safety measures must to restore confidence in metro rail

It was a bright afternoon on October 26, 2025, when tragedy struck once again in Dhaka's Farmgate area. A bearing pad from the city's metro rail infrastructure fell from above, fatally hitting a young man named Abul Kalam Azad. He died on the spot-leaving behind a grieving mother, a devastated wife, and two bewildered children. Several others were also injured in the incident. No amount of government compensation can ever make up for the loss of a human life.

This was not an isolated accident. In September 2024, another bearing pad had detached from a metro rail structure in Dhaka. That time, no one was killed, but train operations were suspended for 11 hours. A committee was formed to investigate, as is customary after such mishaps. But it appears that because there was no loss of life, the investigation was treated as a mere formality. Otherwise, it is inconceivable that a similar accident would occur just one year later-within the same project and under similar circumstances.

The recent tragedy is far graver because it involved the loss of human life. And this raises serious questions about the integrity, accountability, and professional standards behind the country's most ambitious urban transport project.

In developed countries, consulting and design firms involved in large-scale infrastructure projects are required to purchase high-value insurance coverage for every project. This insurance ensures that if a structural failure occurs or if a design is found faulty, the insurer compensates the victims and bears the costs. In many cases, even globally renowned engineering and construction firms have gone bankrupt after being held liable for such failures.

Such stringent systems compel consulting firms to double- and triple-check their designs to eliminate technical faults. These checks are part of a culture of accountability-one that Bangladesh's infrastructure sector desperately lacks.

The question now is: who should investigate this tragedy? The answer lies in independence and expertise. The investigation team must include structural and civil engineers who have practical experience in metro rail design, construction, and safety auditing-but who have never been involved in the current project. Their detachment from the project is essential to ensure impartiality.

Alongside technical experts, the committee should also include a non-technical professional-someone capable of coordinating the investigation and integrating findings into a coherent, objective report.

To prevent such disasters from recurring, Bangladesh must form a powerful and credible investigative team composed of both local and international experts. Since Japanese technology was used in the Dhaka Metro project, one or more Japanese specialists should be included in the team. They would bring valuable knowledge of Japan's design codes and safety standards-something no outsider could fully replicate.

However, any Japanese expert or firm that has previously been associated with the Dhaka Metro project should be excluded to avoid a clear conflict of interest.

Beyond design issues, the investigation must also probe whether there were lapses in the construction phase. Even the best design can fail if poorly executed on the ground. Substandard materials, compromised workmanship, or oversight negligence can all contribute to catastrophic failure.

If engineers, consultants, or contractors have relevant experience in metro projects elsewhere-but no prior involvement with the Dhaka Metro-they should be considered for inclusion in the investigative process. Only such a team, combining credibility and competence, can produce a report that the public can trust.

Reports suggest that the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) had earlier raised objections regarding the quality of the bearing pads used in the metro rail project. However, those warnings were allegedly brushed aside, and the questionable components were still installed.

If this allegation proves true, it represents a serious failure of governance and technical oversight. The new investigation committee must take this claim seriously and determine how and why these safety concerns were ignored.

Some experts have argued that vibrations and added pressure in the curved section of the track may have caused the bearing pad to dislodge. This explanation, however, is unsatisfactory. Curves are common features in metro rail systems worldwide-from Tokyo to London-and yet such accidents are almost unheard of. Except for catastrophic natural events like Japan's 1995 Kobe earthquake, bearing pad failures in metro systems are extremely rare. The fact that it has happened twice in Dhaka in just two years points unmistakably to deeper structural or design flaws.

If Japanese metro systems have not experienced such accidents, why has this occurred repeatedly in a project executed with Japanese technical assistance in Bangladesh? The government must scrutinize the competence and credibility of the foreign contractors and consultants involved.

Were they truly qualified and experienced, or were compromises made during their selection due to external influence or bureaucratic pressure? Bangladesh's experience with major infrastructure projects-where contracts are often influenced by lobbying rather than merit-demands that such questions be asked boldly and answered transparently.

A public infrastructure project funded by taxpayers and foreign loans cannot afford such opacity. The selection process for design consultants and contractors must be re-evaluated to ensure technical merit prevails over personal or political connections.

Immediate measures are needed to inspect all bearing pads installed throughout the metro rail network. A comprehensive structural inspection should be carried out to identify visible and potential weaknesses. Any defective components must be replaced without delay, and bureaucratic hurdles must not stand in the way of public safety.

This task should not be seen as routine maintenance; it is a critical emergency measure to prevent another tragedy.

Bangladesh's rapid urbanisation demands modern transport systems, but it also demands a shift in mindset-from project completion to project integrity. Infrastructure must not only be built fast but built safely.

The current tragedy should serve as a wake-up call to move beyond bureaucratic investigations and cosmetic reports. What the country needs is a transparent, technically sound, and accountable process that ensures such avoidable deaths never happen again.

In Japan, where many of Dhaka's metro engineers were trained, safety is not a slogan-it is a culture. Every nut and bolt, every concrete beam and bearing pad, is checked and rechecked. Accountability is embedded in every stage-from design to delivery.

For Bangladesh, this tragedy offers a painful but necessary opportunity to learn and reform. The government must ensure that future infrastructure projects-be they metro lines, flyovers, or expressways-undergo independent audits and are insured against design or construction failures.

Abul Kalam Azad's death should not be another statistic lost in official paperwork. His family deserves not only compensation but justice-justice in the form of systemic change.

The investigation must not end with a few low-level scapegoats. It must identify whether negligence occurred at the design, construction, or oversight level—and hold accountable those responsible, regardless of their position or affiliation.

Only through such uncompromising pursuit of truth can Bangladesh begin to restore public confidence in its megaprojects.

Until then, every concrete pillar and bearing pad hanging above the city's crowded streets will remain not just a part of Dhaka's skyline-but a reminder of the lives that hang precariously beneath it.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com