The Bangladesh Railway (BR) is going to rehabilitate the railway tracks, lines and signaling systems across its western zone aiming to make train movement on the routes secure and smooth, officials said on Wednesday.
Since many tracks, lines and signaling systems have become old-aged and some of them are reported faulty, the railway authorities have taken the initiative to minimize risks of accidents, they said.
The BR has undertaken a project titled "Track maintenance and rehabilitation in Western Zone of Bangladesh Railway" at a cost of Tk 21.19 billion for making the lines safe for the travellers and carrying freights.
The Ministry of Railways (MoR) on behalf of the BR has sought approval for the project from the Planning Commission (PC).
"We are scrutinising the project. It will help avoid any untoward incidents in the future. If we find viable, we will recommend endorsement to the ECNEC," said a senior PC official.
He added, "Since the railway lines were set up many years ago, we need to replace those for avoiding accidents."
It was reported that many tracks are old; their joints, nuts and bolts are weak, slippers tilt, and bridges are vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the government has recently approved another project costing Tk17.92 billion to renovate and maintain railway tracks in the eastern zone in a bid to improve safety, expand capacity, and enhance overall passenger and freight services.
The project titled "Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Railway Tracks in the Eastern Region of Bangladesh Railway" will be fully funded by the government and implemented over four years - from July 2025 to June 2029 - by the BR, according to a project document.
A senior official said the proposed Tk21.19 billion project would help ensure safe train operation with the expected speed, improvement of the passenger and freight services, reduce overall maintenance cost and boost the Railway's revenue.
"We have also taken another project for the Eastern Zone which would also ensure similar kinds of purposes in a bid to improve the services," he added.
According to the proposed project proposal, the main objectives of this project are development and capacity enhancement of the existing rail communication in the western and northern zones of Bangladesh.
The BR would rehabilitate 449 kilometre railway lines and 514 kilometre railway tracks.
The state-run Railway has a total of 1930km railway lines and 2505.5 km railway tracks in the country's western zone. Those were built through the rails in 1930, 1943, 1968 and 1969. The rails erode at a rate between 12-15 per cent due to their old age.
The eastern zone of Bangladesh Railway has around 1,503.61km tracks, with the Dhaka-Chattogram main line and the Laksam-Chandpur and Laksam-Noakhali sections serving as vital corridors for economic and social development.
In addition to connecting Dhaka with Mymensingh, Sylhet, and the Jamuna Bridge eastern side, the eastern rail network plays a key role in regional connectivity.
The project document said that regular maintenance - such as inspections, slack removal, track alignment, and the replacement of worn-out components - is essential to ensure safe train operations. Seasonal overhauls and periodic renewal of rails, sleepers, and ballast are also carried out, particularly during the dry season.
However, officials said long-standing manpower shortages have hindered the proper implementation of these maintenance tasks.
The project is expected to boost the railway's operational capacity and service standards by facilitating major upgrades, including the replacement of worn out rails, sleepers, and fittings; filling ballast deficiencies; and introducing mechanised tamping and maintenance systems.
Although several new rail links have been developed in the western and eastern regions in recent years, many existing lines remain old and dilapidated, BR officials said.
Due to high costs, regular maintenance of these lines has not been feasible under the current revenue budget, they added.
