Future of railway

The deadly collision between two trains in Branmaria on Monday that left at least 16 people killed, reminds us of vulnerable safety measures in Bangladesh's railway. Reports say train accidents saw as many as 1,546 casualties in 10 years between 2007 and 2017. The Bangladesh Railway recorded 365 deaths and 1,181 cases of injuries in those incidents. More surprisingly, the number of train accidents including derailment, recorded in the decade is as high as 2,786.

There are at least 34 accidents in Dhaka city, mostly at level crossing. It's regrettable that adequate safety measures are not taken in a busy mega-city like Dhaka. Also, the Brahmanbaria incident suggests, there are deficiencies in training and use of sophisticated technology in train services. It is essential to modernise the railway if it is to make a popular and safe mode of journey in the coming days.

Zahid Hasan

East West University, Dhaka