Photo: Hardinge bridge at  Pabna

Physical work of the 1.8-km Hardinge Bridge had started in 1909 and completed 1915, bridge was partially damaged during the Liberation War, but Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took initiatives to reopen it. The bridge, runs between the railways stations Bheramara and Paksey in Pabna, was named for Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge.

The construction on the bridge had begun on 1910 under the British Railway Department and it took two years to complete. British Engineer Mr. Gayle was in charge of the bridge’s construction. The first train moved on the bridge on January 1, 1915 as an engineering test while the bridge was officially inaugurated by Lord Hardinge on March, 4 that year. Recently in Pabna, the one hundred year anniversary of the historic bridge was observed acknowledging the architectural genius that went into constructing the bridge a hundred years ago.

On august 22, 2015 Hardinge bridge  centenary has been celebrated. International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) and Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) jointly arranged a function on the occasion at a programme in a city hotel. Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and Railways Minister Mazibul Hoque spoke at the function held with professor Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury in the chair. Professor Dr K Nogami of Tokyo Metropolitan University also spoke at the function, attended by delegates from various countries. Architect Kazi Anisuddin Iqbal, Director, FPD (Forum for Physical Development) attended the program.