Hardinge Bridge

Hardinge Bridge (Bengali: হার্ডিঞ্জ ব্রিজ) is a steel railway bridge over the river Padma located at Ishwardi, Pabna and Bheramara, Kushtia in Bangladesh. It is named after Lord Hardinge, who was the Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916. The bridge is 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) long.[2]

Hardinge Bridge
হার্ডিঞ্জ ব্রিজ
Coordinates24°04′04″N 89°01′45″E
CarriesBroad-Gauge Rail-line
CrossesPadma River
LocalePabna District & Kushtia District, Bangladesh
Official nameHardinge Bridge
Characteristics
DesignTruss bridge
Total length1,798.32 metres (5,900 ft)
History
DesignerA M Rendel[1]
Constructed byBraithwaite and Kirk[1]
Opened4 March 1915
Location

Construction

Construction of the through truss bridge began in 1910,[2] though it was proposed at least 20 years earlier. It was constructed by Braithwaite and Kirk Company based on design of Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel.[1] It was completed in 1912,[2] and trains started moving on it in 1915.[3]

Brief history
Hardinge Bridge construction (1910)

The construction of a railway bridge over the Padma was proposed in 1889 by the Eastern Bengal Railway for easier communication between Calcutta and the then Eastern Bengal and Assam. In 1902, Sir FJE Spring prepared a report on the bridge. A technical committee reported that a bridge could be constructed at Sara crossing the lower Ganges between the Paksey and Bheramara Upazila stations on the broad gauge railway from Khulna to Parbatipur Upazila. The construction of the bridge started in 1910 and finished two years later.[4] The bridge comprises 15 steel trusses. The main girders are modified "Petit" type.

The most difficult task of the operation was to prevent bank erosion and to make the river flow permanently under the bridge. For this, two guide banks of the "Bell-bund" type named after J. R. Bell were built on either side, each extending 910 metres (3,000 ft) upstream and 300 metres (1,000 ft) downstream from the bridge.[3] The ends of the river banks were curved inward and heavily pitched with stone.[3]

Hardinge Bridge was severely damaged during the Liberation War of Bangladesh of 1971.[5] It happened on 13 December 1971, when the Indian Air Force plane bombed on the 4th guarder from the Paksey side. As the Pakistani army was on retreat towards Jessore (their last stronghold) Hardinge Bridge was strategically very important. The allied force damaged the bridge. The Japanese Government helped to reconstruct the bridge.

It is the second largest railway bridge in Bangladesh. Another bridge named Lalon Shah Bridge for road transport beside the Hardinge Bridge has recently been constructed.

References
  1. "Braithwaite and Kirk". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  2. "Hardinge Bridge". Structurae. Wilhelm Ernst and Sohn Verlag. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  3. Coleman, F. C. (17 June 1915). "Hardinge Bridge Over the Lower Ganges in India". Engineering News. 73 (24): 1160–64. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  4. "News and more information". Archived from the original on 30 November 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
  5. [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/1971/Dec12/index.html More information on the Liberation War of Bangladesh damageArchived 7 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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