The government has finally decided to construct a separate railway bridge on the Jamuna River parallel to the Bangabandhu Bridge to facilitate smooth regional railway communication with neighbouring countries, officials said Wednesday.
The Ministry of Railway (MoR) has recently sought approval of a Tk 100.55 billion project to construct the bridge with dual-gauge double-track provision from the Planning Commission (PC).
With this proposal, the government's earlier plan to build the proposed 4.8 kilometre railway bridge on public-private partnership (PPP) has been scrapped.
"Now the government will build the bridge at its own initiative. The proposed bridge will be constructed just beside the existing Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna River," said a Bangladesh Railway (BR) official.
He said: "The existing Bangabandhu Bridge is not quite fit for driving trains. So it is imperative to build a separate bridge. The proposed bridge will ensure smooth railway communication both inside and outside the country."
A MoR official said they had recently sent the development project proposal to the PC for getting approval. "If we get approval soon, the bridge is expected to be built by December 2020."
"We have requested the Japanese government for financing the railway bridge project. We are hopeful of getting adequate financial support from Japan," he added.
The BR has proposed Tk 100.55 billion cost for construction of the Jamuna Railway Bridge. Of the fund, Tk 80.90 billion is expected to be come from a foreign lender as project aid and the rest will be provided by the Bangladesh government.
The BR has already conducted a feasibility study with the financial support of the Asian Development Bank.
The MoR officials said at present goods or passenger trains can move at the highest speed of 20 kms per hour on the Bangabandhu Bridge. There is a restriction on movement of trains on the bridge if they are overloaded.
The proposal says transport of goods will increase if a separate railway bridge is constructed. The proposed bridge could be used in case of closure of the Bangabandhu Bridge due to natural disaster or any other causes.
Another MoR official said India and Bangladesh had earlier agreed that a separate railway bridge was necessary for transport of Indian containerised cargo across the Jamuna River.
He added the bridge would also shorten the road length for transportation of Indian goods to Chittagong Port, Dhaka, Akhaura-Agartala route, Shahbazpur-Karimganj through Birol-Radhikapur and Chilahati-Haldibari and other borders.
The official said the proposed Trans Asian railway line, which will enter from India and connect Myanmar, will be benefited through the proposed railway bridge on the River Jamuna.
Besides, the government's initiative to enhance the capacity of the struggling BR will go one step ahead after construction of the proposed bridge, the official added.
kabirhumayan10@gmail.com
Separate railway bridge over Jamuna, finally
FHM Humayan Kabir | Published: April 02, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
Share if you like