After a long wait, the country's largest railway bridge over the Jamuna River has commenced its initial test runs.
On Sunday (5 January), at 9:20am the first two trial trains successfully crossed the bridge.
The speed trials are being conducted progressively to evaluate the structure’s performance, said Jamuna Railway Bridge Chief Site Engineer Moinul Islam.
He stated, "Today, the trains will run at full speed as part of the test. Initially, at 9:20am, two trains departed from both ends of the bridge, moving from the east bank to the west and vice versa, at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour. At 10:20am, the speed increased to 60 kilometres per hour as the trains crossed again from both ends. Then, at 11:01am, a train from the west bank accelerated to 80 kilometres per hour and entered the bridge, while at 11:05am, the train from the east bank completed its crossing to the west end of the bridge. The trains will undergo trials today at a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour."
Moinul further remarked, "We are all eagerly awaiting the full-speed trials. To be honest, we are elated and quite excited. After several years of immense efforts by our large team, today marks the culmination of our work. Trains will run at the highest speed in the country on this bridge. This is a landmark achievement for us."
