Govt plans improvement of railway services

Publish: 9:51 PM, May 15, 2019 | Update: 9:51 PM, May 15, 2019

DHAKA : The government is contemplating a number of projects for the development of the railway sector, aiming to provide better services to passengers, reports UNB
According to an official document, the future plans include transforming Dhaka-Chattogram corridor into dual gauge and constructing speedy railway for Dhaka-Chittagong line. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has already approved the revised project to construct 72 kms dual-gauge double rail-track from Akhaura to Laksham, involving Tk 6,504 crore.
Bangladesh Railway will implement the project named ‘Construction of Dual Gauge Double Rail Line and Conversion of Existing Rail Line into Dual Gauge between Akhaura and Laksam’, by June 2020. The total length of the two dual gauge rail lines would be 144 kilometers.
The existing Dhaka-Chittagong rail link is 320km long, but the proposed route length will be 230km. The proposed route will go through Narayanganj and connect Comilla or Lakhsam on the existing Dhaka-Chittagong route.
Besides, some technical assistant projects will be implemented under the Multimodal Transport Project Preparatory Facilities.
These projects included conducting feasibility study and detailed design for constructing a parallel bridge beside the existing Hardinge bridge.
Besides, figuring out the future demand of rolling stock and conducting feasibility study to transfer, reconstruction and constructing of new infrastructure for preserving rolling stock.
Conducting feasibility study and detailed design to construct a new parallel broad gauge rail line beside the existing one in Abdulpur-Rajshahi and Abdulpur-Santahar-Parbotipur section.
The plan also include transformation of meter gauge to dual gauge in Satahar-Bogra-Kaunia-lalmonirhat section. Besides, another parallel dual gauge will be constructed and feasibility study and detailed design will be done for it.
Bhairab Bazar- Mymensing meter gauge section will be turned in to dual gauge with a new parallel dual gauge line.
Under the plan, feasibility study and detailed design will be done to establish a parallel dual gauge line with the existing meter gauge line in the Akhaura-Sylhet section.
Besides, a future plan will be formulated for expansion of core and non-core business of the railway side by side improving the service for the passengers in all important stations of Bangladesh Railway through infrastructural development and controlling the entrance in the stations.
The plan include reconstruction of Jashor-Benapole broad gauge line and transformation of meter gauge into dual gauge of the Jamalpur-Tarakandi-Bangabandhu Bridge east side.