After just seven months of the inauguration, hairline cracks have become visible on several point pillars of the Jamuna Rail Bridge constructed over the River Jamuna at a cost of nearly Tk 17,000 crore.
Currently repairing works are ongoing on the bridge.
Officials of the Bangladesh Railway, the implementing agency of the bridge construction project, claimed that these cracks did not mean structural damage and these were normal for concrete structure.
As photos of these cracks went viral on social media, the officials also alleged that artificial intelligence tools had been used to exaggerate the photos.
Experts, however, said that it was an alarming matter as hairline cracks on this type of big structure were not supposed to be developed so early.
The Jamuna Railway Bridge was inaugurated on March 18, 2025, opening the window for the northern region people to enjoy a faster journey.
The rail bridge has been built separately near the Jamuna Bridge that contains both road and rail links. After opening of the new rail bridge, the old rail bridge is not being used at the moment for running trains.
During the recent heatwave, hairline cracks were suddenly detected under eight to 10 pillars on the western side of the bridge, prompting immediate repair works.
According to the project office, due to the extreme heat, hairline cracks, measuring between 0.1 and 0.3 millimetres, have appeared under several pillars on the western end of the bridge.
Similar minor cracks were seen earlier and were filled with resin, they said.
It was reported that some individuals took photos of the cracks and uploaded them to social media, including a local Facebook page, Amader Kamarkhanda, from where the pictures went viral on Thursday afternoon.
Following the viral posts, the Jamuna Rail Bridge authorities found themselves under public scrutiny.
Jamuna Railway Bridge project director Al Fattah M Masudur Rahman told 抖阴精品 that these were not structural cracks but rather a normal phenomenon in a large concrete structure.
After addressing the issue, the contractors started repairing works by smoothing and enlarging the tiny cracked areas and applying resin coatings 鈥� a type of industrial adhesive 鈥� to seal them, he said.
鈥楾hese are hairline cracks 鈥� completely normal in any concrete structure,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥業 have asked for an on-site inspection report.鈥�
Masudur Rahman also added that it seemed someone used an AI app to exaggerate the cracks before spreading them online.
鈥業f necessary, we will take legal action against those responsible,鈥� he added.
Professor Md Shamsul Hoque, a teacher of civil engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said that hairline cracks on this type of big structure were not supposed to be caught eye and developed so early.
鈥業t is an alarming matter,鈥� he said and urged the rail authorities to monitor the bridge condition neutrally to find whereas these cracks would cause any structural damage or not.
Shamsul observed that the rail bridges were more sensitive than road bridges as the loading patterns of trains were more dynamic.
He mentioned that after the inauguration of Jamuna Bridge in 1998 some cracks were found but the authorities did not pay heed to the observation of the site office.
鈥楢fter about one and half years, the then government admitted that the cracks developed on the Jamuna Bridge and later repaired those with experts from China and BUET,鈥� he added.
Under the Jamuna rail bridge project, a total of 30.73-kilometre new rail line, the bridge, 0.05-kilometre viaduct on both sides and a 7.667-kilometre railway approach embankment were constructed in parallel with the existing Jamuna Bridge.
The project was approved in December 2016.
The original project cost was Tk 9,734.07 crore, which increased to Tk 16,780.96 crore after the first revision in 2020. The cost included a loan of Tk 12,149.2 crore from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Instead of the original deadline of December 2023, the project deadline is now December 2025 with one year鈥檚 defect liability period.
