Miraculously, Dhaka-bound inter-city train Banalata Express with 850 passengers on board narrowly escaped an accident in Charghat upazila of Rajshahi on Tuesday. The accident was prevented by two locals who found a crack on the railway track in Ramchandrapur village between Arani and Nandangachhi railway stations. Seeing that the train was rushing in, they instantly hoisted their red towels (gamchha) to alert the loco master. Seeing the signal the train immediately halted saving many lives.
After this, railway authorities started emergency repairing works. Following two hours of suspension, train communication resumed around 9:30 am. The incident occurred merely four days after a similar situation in Arani area of the neighbouring Bagha upazila. On the day, a temporary railway gateman detected a large crack on the track and saved a train carrying 300 passengers from accident by hoisting red flag. Authorities said the railway tracks on which the cracks were found are more than 50 years old. Meanwhile, the two incidents have left their marks on the neighbourhood, as locals said they are panicked as faults on the track are being found almost often in the last two months. Fortunately the faults are being found ahead of time, but it could cause a fatal accident.
The railway authorities should look into the security of railway tracks regularly to detect cracks and replace old tracks immediately. Until the replacement is completed, the authorities should suspend the routes as people’s safety is the most priority. Over the few years, the government has purchased a number of locomotives and invested in developing the metro in Dhaka, while rail communication with several destinations is still at risk due to years old tracks. We do ask the authorities concerned to prioritise the modernising, modifying and increasing the service of railways at an affordable cost as it is still the safest mode of mass transportation.
