Bangladesh Railway (BR), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is going to conduct a study on the "load capacity" of the Banga-bandhu Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge (BJMB). official sources said yesterday.

"We are going to reassess the load capacity of the bridge.." Atikul Husain Khan. DG of the BR told The Daily Star yester-

day.

"Bigger load has to be permitted over BJMB when international railway traffic starts operating through it." the DG noted.

The study is expected to begin shortly, another source in the BR said. Allowing bigger railway load_on the bridge will . also be examined during the

study, the source noted.

"Load rating (load capacity) of the BJMB is needed to be assessed so that maximum combined stress of road and railway load on the bridge is known," said an expert involved in the planned study.

Khan said. "Possibility of reducing dead load on the bridge and introduction of certain traffic regulations over it will be also assessed during the study." He however said there is no constraint for passenger trains to cross the bridge.

"Most of the Bangladeshi freight wagons can ply with capacity load under the permissible level of load oh the bridge.” he said.

Other sources in the BR said, additional packing of stone chips may be required on the newly laid rail track on both sides of the BJMB.

"Packing is a routine matter for any new rail track." said an official.

Seventeen kilometer new rail track has been laid from Jamatail to Ibrahimabad. connecting the western and eastern zones of BR through the BJMB. Of the new rail track, five km has been laid on the bridge and the rest is on its both sides.

The inter-city Padma Express is now plying between Ra-Jshahi and Bangaoandhu East Station through the BJMB six days a week except on Sunday.