Every district to come under rail network, says minister

FE Team | Published: June 26, 2019 23:55:52

Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan said on Wednesday the country's all districts would be brought under railway connectivity, reports BSS.
"At present, 44 districts of the country have been brought under railway network. Once the projects the Bangladesh Railway has already taken and will take soon are implemented, rail connectivity will be established in 15 more districts," the railway minister said while responding to a starred question placed by ruling party lawmaker Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury (Sylhet-3) in the Jatiya Sangsad with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
About setting up rail connectivity with neighbours, he said the government has taken initiatives to introduce two new interchange points of railway aiming to increase the railway connectivity with neighbouring India.
Noting that Akhaura (Bangladesh)-Agartala (India) is a new interchange point, Sujan said the rail track is being set up from Gangasagar of Akhaura to the Indian border to introduce this point.
It is urgent to repair or construct rail line from Feni to Belonia to introduce the 33-km new interchange point, he said. Bangladesh Railway has already sent a proposal regarding the construction or repair of the Feni-Belonia rail line to the Economic Relations Division.
About the restoration of the closed interchange points, the railway minister said the Shahbazpur (Bangladesh)-Mahishasan (India) interchange point was closed in 2002, which was a part of the Trans-Asian Railway Network.
He said the government approved the Kulaura-Shahbazpur Rehabilitation project of Bangladesh Railways in 2011 aiming to introduce intercontinental rail communication.
On September 10, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the project through a videoconference.
Mentioning that the Burimari-Changrabandha interchange point was closed in 1971, Sujan said if the three-kilometre rail line from Burimari to Changrabandha could be set up and transhipment was introduced in Burimari, movement of goods would be easier with India, Bhutan and Bangladesh through the interchange point.