The government has taken up a plan to bring all the country’s 64 districts under railway network within a few years, aiming to build a comfortable and safer transportation system across the country.
Railways Minister Mujibul Haque told UNB that works on a number of projects will start within three and a half years to achieve the target, while works on 48 projects under the expansion plan are already underway.
Talking to the news agency, Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Railway (BR) Md Amzad Hossain said on successful completion of the ongoing 48 projects, the BR will be able to carry approximately 3 lakh passengers every day against the current capacity of carrying 1.8 lakh passengers.
At least 7-8 projects will be completed with June this year, the DG added.
The 48 projects include construction of double lines on Dhaka-Chittagong route, two duel gauge lines on Dhaka-Tongi route, one duel gauge line on Dhaka-Narayanganj route and a duel gauge double line on Tongi-Joydebpur route.
Apart from this, a study is underway to set up 164.21 km double line on Joydebpur-Ishawardi route with financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) while another project study to set up a duel gauge double line over the Jamuna River, some 300 meters off the Bangabandhu Bridge, has completed.
The Railway Minister also said a total of 270 coaches — 150 financed by ADB and 120 by India-are going to be added to the BR fleet while the process of bringing 100-meter gauge locomotives, with the financing of UDCF, South Korea and ADB, is underway.
He said, the new projects of setting up 571.30 km rail tracks include 78.80 km on Ishwardi-Pabna route which is expected to end in 2016, 5.75 km on Paturia-Vanga, 50.41 km on Gopalganj-Tungipara and another track from Navaran to Satkhira-Munshiganj, which are being financed by the government.
