The maiden train crossed the dream Padma Bridge on a trial basis, ushering in a hope to run regularly through a 169-kilometre Bhanga-Jashore-Dhaka route next September.
Packed with passionate political leaders and activists, the train ran with seven newly imported Chinese coaches.
It started from Bhanga station at 1:21 pm with a speed of 20km per hour and reached Mawa station at 3:18 pm, crossing the country's longest bridge in 16 minutes.
Railways minister Nurul Islam Sujon, who embarked on the trial run, termed the moment historic.
Briefing journalists at Mawa station after completion of the trial run, he said train operation through the entire corridor would start after inauguration by the premier anytime in September.
Mr Sujon, who earlier reached Bhanga from Kamalapur station in a gang car, a special train uses for construction of track, said all work is likely to complete by August.
Chief whip Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury and deputy minister for water resources AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, lawmakers Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon, Sagupta Yasmin Emily and Naim Razzak accompanied him in the train.
Deputy commissioner and police super of the local administration and railway western zone high officials were also in the train.
Along with them were political leaders and activists who crammed the train that reached approach point of the rail-cum-road bridge at Shariatpur at 2:38 pm and entered the bridge at 2:48 pm.
The train crossed the bridge at 3:04 pm.
Local people, including schoolchildren, waived hands as the train was crossing Bhanga, Panchar Shariatpur, Padma and Mawa stations for the first time.
The Bangladesh Railway (BR) ran the train after completing 42.2-kilometre track from Bhanga to Mawa under the first-phase Padma Bridge Rail Link (PBRL) project.
According to the project, 91-per cent work from Bhanga to Mawa has been done. Overall progress in four stations in the first phase is recorded at 68 per cent.
All 13 major bridges were completed during this phase.
Progress from Mawa to Dhaka was 72.50 per cent and Bhanga to Jashore 68 per cent.
The BR has been implementing the PBRL project at Tk 392.46 billion to set up Dhaka-Bhanga-Jashore rail track through Padma Bridge for developing shorter rail communication with south-western districts, particularly with Mongla.
The expensive project has been implemented with Chinese government loan amounting to Tk 210.36 billion.
The fast-track project was approved on 01 January 2016 with a target for completion on 30 June 2024.
The loan agreement was signed on 27 April 2018 and physical work began on 03 June 2018.
China Railway Group Limited (CREC) was awarded the work with a contract value of $3.138 billion. The signing was, however, done on 08 August 2016.
Under this project, 100 coaches have been planned to import. Of them, 45 are already received.
A delay in starting the PBRL project, however, missed the government's target to run the train through the rail-cum-road bridge on the first day of opening the bridge.
The trial run was made 10 months after the inauguration of the road part of the bridge on June 25.
smunima@yahoo.com