January 2, 2017 TnH Global

Bangladesh Railway signs Deal for Padma Bridge Railway Link Project

Bangladesh Railway (BR) entered Sunday a deal with the firm Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) for the Padma bridge railway link project.

Bangladesh Army and the Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation (BRTC) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) jointly formed the CSC. Project Director of the Padma Bridge Railway Link Sukumar Bhowmik and Project Manager of CSC Cell Colonel Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides.

Railways Minister M Mazibul Haque witnessed the signing ceremony as the chief guest, while Chief of Army Staff General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq was present as the special guest.

The minister said the present government is working to provide services to passengers, ‘Currently a total of 46 projects are under implementation in the railway,’ he added.

He also said the government would bring all districts under the railway network. ‘We have undertaken a project to run a bullet train on Dhaka-Chittagong route,’ Haque added.

According to the details of the project, the government is set to construct 172 kilometres of a railway line from Dhaka to Jessore through Padma Bridge involving Tk 349.90 billion, of which Tk 247.49 billion would come from China and Tk 102.40 billion from the government exchequer. It said the proposed construction of rail lines on the Padma Bridge-Dhaka-Mawa-Banga-Narail-Jessore route would be completed in the next six years.