The inauguration ceremony of Hardinge Bridge.
Pakshi. March 4, 1915.
Hardinge Bridge is a railway bridge connecting Pakshi in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district in Bangladesh to Bheramara upazila of Kushtia district. It is known as the longest railway bridge in Bangladesh. The bridge is located on the Padma River south of Pakshi railway station in Pabna district. The construction period of this bridge is 1909-1915. The bridge was named after the then Viceroy Lord Hardinge. The length of Hardinge Bridge is 1,798.32 meters or 5894 feet or 1.8 km. There are two broad-gauge railway lines on it. The bridge was designed by Alexander Meadows Rendel and Builders Brithwaite & Kirk. It opened on March 4, 1915.
In 1889, the then undivided Government of India proposed the construction of a bridge over the Padma River to facilitate communication between Kolkata and Assam, Tripura, Nagaland and North Bengal. Later, in 1908, after getting permission to build the bridge, British engineer Sir Robert Giles took the responsibility of building the bridge.
In 1909, the survey of the construction of the bridge began. In 1910-11, embankments were built on the two banks of the Padma to protect the bridge. In 1912, the construction of the guide bank of the bridge began. Besides, the construction of the girder of the bridge started. Wells are dug for the construction of girders. 24,000 workers worked tirelessly for 5 years to complete the construction of the bridge in 1915. Lord Hardinge was the Viceroy of undivided India. The bridge was named Hardinge Bridge after him. The cost of construction of the bridge was 3 crore 51 lakh 32 thousand 1 hundred 64 taka. The length of the bridge is 5,800 feet. The bridge has 15 spans. During the liberation war in 1971, the 12th span was damaged when the bridge was bombed. Which were repaired later. Hardinge Bridge is located on the Padma River at the border of Ishwardi Bheramara. Only trains use the bridge. Bangladesh Railway is responsible for the maintenance and security of the bridge. In 2015, the construction of this Hardinge Bridge completed a century jubilee. It took 24,000 workers five years to build the bridge.
Translated by : Ananyo Haider, European University of Bangladesh.
