20-year master plan devised for railway dev : Minister

Stating that the government wants to deliver the benefits of railway services to people from all walks of life, railways minister M Muzibul Haque on Monday said a 20-year master plan has been devised for the development of the railway sector, reports UNB.

"The government wants to deliver the services of rail to people from all strata of life. For this, various projects have been taken. The railway sector of Bangladesh will reach the level of that in the developed countries following the implementation of the projects," he said.

The minister was talking to reporters after an agreement-signing ceremony between Bangladesh Railway and an Indian company at the Rail Bhaban.

He also said the work for modernising the railway sector will reach a new height during the five-year tenure of the present government.

Bangladesh Railway signed the deal with IRCON International Limited of India for upgrading signalling at 11 stations between Ishwardi and Darshana within 18 months involving Tk 86.99 crore.

Bangladesh Railway General Manager Sagar Krishna Chakrabarti and IRCON General Manager Mohan Dudeja signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

The main object of the project is to introduce modern computer-based colour light signalling systems at the 11 stations, including 14 level crossing gates, of the Ishwardi-Darshana section to ensure safety of train operation, increase line capacity and train speed and reduce journey time.