Akhaura-Laksam section to have dual-gauge line

Bangladesh Railway (BR) will convert the Akhaura to Laksam section to dual-gauge line although remaining part of the Dhaka-Chittagong railway line is metre-gauge (MG), officials said Tuesday.
On the Dhaka-Chittagong 327km railway line, some 117km is MG and the BR has been setting up MG double line on the 64km Tongi-Bhairab Bazar and in 61km Chinkiastana-Lakhsam sections.
Officials said the BR earlier undertook project for setting up metre-gauge (MG) double line for the 71 kilometres Akhaura-Laksam route which has now been redesigned to dual-gauge without proper feasibility study. It will cost Tk 68.31 billion.
"Without proper feasibility study, the BR has decided to install the dual-gauge line on the Akhaura-Laksam portion of the Dhaka-Chittagong track despite having MG line on the rest of the route," said a railway ministry official.
The sudden change of the design for installing the dual-gauge line is in conflict with the remaining portion of the Dhaka-Chittagong railway track, he said requesting for anonymity.
The official said the BR has almost completed construction of the nearly 120km MG double line and sudden change of the design for the 71km line in the middle of the Dhaka-Chittagong route will not be viable.
A General Manager of the BR, SK Chakrabarty, told the FE that they had changed the design of the Akhaura-Laksam line following an instruction from the high-ups of the government.
"According to the feasibility study, we had earlier undertaken a project to build MG double line between the Akhaura and Laksam section. But when directed we had decided to set up dual-gauge line."
Accordingly, we had prepared the project proposal and sent it to the Planning Commission (PC) for approval, he said.
When asked, Mr Chakrabarty said, "First, we will set up the 71km dual-gauge line on the Akhaura-Laksam portion. Then we will take projects gradually to convert the rest of the portion of the 327km Dhaka-Chittagong line to a double-gauge one within next few years."
A PC official said if the dual-gauge line is set up in 71km section of the 327km Dhaka-Chittagong railway line, how the train will run on the Dhaka-Chittagong route as the major portion of the line is MG.
Besides, the government has already spent millions of taka for upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong MG single line into MG double line and now converting those again into dual-gauge which would require large funds, he said.
"If all the sections of the Dhaka-Chittagong route needs to be converted into a dual-gauge line, was it a wise decision to install the MG double line on the same route wasting millions of taka?" he questioned.
When asked, the BR GM Mr Chakrabarty said since Bangladesh's neighbouring country India has the broad-gauge line, we need to convert our lines into the dual-gauge or broad-gauge ones for ensuring freight and passenger transportation between the two nations.
Besides, Bangladesh in the near future wants to connect itself with the regional corridors which will also require the BG line, he added.
The proposed Akhaura-Laksam section will be upgraded to dual-gauge line with the Asian Development Bank's US$505 million loan.
The BR has been working to set up MG double tracking at 64 km Tongi-Bhairab Bazar section, financed by ADB-loans and MG double tracking of the 61 km Chinki Astana-Laksam section is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Dhaka-Chittagong railway line is the most important track of Bangladesh as the BR's freight is increasing at about 13 per cent per annum. The number of containers transported by BR between Chittagong Port and Dhaka Inland Container Depot has been growing in recent years. However, BR is to date only transporting around 10 per cent of the containers from Chittagong Port bound for Dhaka.

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