Ragtag basic safety measures seen behind train mishaps

Railway safety measures are far from on the improving trail, although the rail transport infrastructure is one of the oldest modes of communications and adjudged one of the most important factors for the country's progress. The government has also laid emphasis on bringing the whole country under the railway network.
The main safety option for the railway is its anti-collision frameworks - frameworks that'll recognise track breakage and stop the train automatically. But the lack of maintenance of tracks, equipment, bridges, level crossings and signalling systems are the glaring hallmarks of Bangladesh Railways (BR), sources in the BR said.
Train accidents have increased in the country in recent years also.
At least 16 people were killed and 73 injured as an intercity train crashed into another train in Kasba Upazila of Brahmanbaria on Tuesday.
On June 23 when five people were killed and 67 others hurt as six carriages of Dhaka-bound Upaban Express from Sylhet went off lines at Baramchal in Moulvibazar's Kulaura Upazila.
Data shows that at least 210 accidents took place in the last two years, leaving 50 people dead and 200 injured. The number of mishaps that occurred during the last fiscal year was more than that of the
    two previous years.
A total of 89 incidents had taken place in 2017-18 and 80 in 2016-17. According to available data, most train accidents in the country were caused by derailments.
Altogether 2,988 train accidents took place in the last 12 years until June 30 this year. Of them, 2,522 were due to derailment, accounting for 84.40 per cent of the total number of accidents. Besides, in the 11 years till the end of 2016-17  fiscal year, 305 incidents involved trains ramming into obstructions and 21 were due to collisions.
Among 80 railway accidents in 2016-17, 44 were due to derailments. In 2017-19, there were 64 incidents of derailment out of a total of 89 railway accidents. In FY2018-19, a total of 95 railway incidents took place. Among them, 63 were due to derailment.
The authorities have already put up "Dead Stop" signs at rail bridges instructing trains to stop first before crossing it and then run at a speed of only five km per hour, a report said.
The latest incident comes at a time when BR is under huge criticism for poor maintenance of its rail tracks and bridges, which stemmed from two major accidents in less than a month.
At least four people were killed and more than 100 injured as a passenger train-- Upaban Express-- derailed on a bridge in Moulvibazar on June 23.
On July 10, an oil-carrying train derailed in Rajshahi's Charghat Upazila, snapping Rajshahi's rail communication with the rest of the country for more than a day. All these, however, have failed to wake BR up from sleep.