Bangladesh Railway

Photo: Collected Preparations are being made to install railway tracks on the Padma Bridge

Dhaka-Bhanga-Jessore railway to be launched in 2024

This was stated by Railway Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujon in response to various questions of the journalists at Mawa Railway Station after inspecting the progress of construction work of Padma Bridge project at Mawa end of Munshiganj Louhjong Upazila.

The Minister inspected the progress of the work of 42 km from Bhanga to Mawa and 39 km from Dhaka to Mawa of the 172 km railway project from Dhaka to Jessore.

The Minister said that the progress of work from Dhaka to Mawa section is 60.4 percent, and the progress of work from Mawa to Bhanga is 78 percent. Work progress from Bhanga to Jessore is 49.5 percent. The overall progress of the railway bridge from Dhaka to Jessore is 57.5 percent.

Nurul Islam Sujan said there was a plan to launch the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga railway from the day of inauguration of the Padma Bridge. But due to technical reasons, it was not possible to work on the upper part of the bridge as the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project Authority did not get permission. For this reason, after the inauguration of the bridge in June, the work of laying the railway line on the bridge will start from July.

He said the railway line of Padma Bridge project is 169 km from Dhaka to Jessore. The work up to Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga is expected to be completed this year and the whole work up to Jessore will be completed by 2024.

The cost of this project has been estimated at around Tk 40,000 crore. Of which the Bangladesh government will finance about Tk 16,000 crore. The minister said that the Chinese government is financing around Tk 21,000 crore.

There is a gas line on one side of the lower level of this multipurpose bridge and a service lane on the other side, and railroad is in the middle. It will take another six months to set up a stoneless railway line.

The railway track is being laid on the 4.5 km rail link bridge on both sides of the Padma bridge.