Sirajul Islam Shishir

The much-awaited double-line dual-gauge railway bridge over the River Jamuna is expected to be opened in the second week of January 2025.

After inauguration, the economic wheels of the northern region will be more activated, experts said.

“We have successfully completed construction works of a dedicated double-line dual-gauge railway bridge over the river Jamuna,” Project Director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman told media recently.

He said the 4.8 km long double-line dual gauge bridge, which would be the largest dedicated rail bridge of the country, was constructed with two packages, including WD-1 and WD-2, with the involvement of Tk 167.80 billion (Tk 16,780 crore).

“The total cost of the bridge has been estimated at Tk 167.80 billion (Tk 16,780.95 crore), of which Tk 130 billion (Tk 13,000 crore) has been earmarked for construction work and over Tk 20 billion (Tk 3,000 crore) for meeting other costs. But we have saved Tk 500 million (Tk 50 crore) against construction of a component,” Rahman said.

According to the project details, the main construction work was done with the financial support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). JICA has given around Tk 120 billion (Tk 12,000 crore), while the rest of the money came from the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) fund.

Two Japanese joint venture firms have been carrying out the major works of the project taken in 2016, it said.

The dual-gauge double-track bridge, having a gas pipeline facility, is being built some 3,00 meters upstream of the Bangabandhu Bridge, having a single rail line.

In December 2016, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council passed the bridge project at a cost of Tk 97.34 billion (Tk 9,734 crore) and the project was scheduled to be completed by December 2023.

But the physical work of the project started in August 2020 and the foundation work of the bridge was begun in March 2021, it said.

The rail bridge will ensure smooth railway communication both inside and outside the country. Once the bridge is completed, a dedicated railway network will be set up between the North and the rest of the country, the project details said.

It said the railway bridge would also have a positive impact on the growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

It added the railway bridge would improve the capacity of Bangladesh Railway (BR) in operating more trains between the capital and the western part of the country. It would also help reduce train delays, which are now common.

The new railway bridge will have the capacity to operate 88 trains daily, while a maximum of 22 trains could travel smoothly on the single-line dual gauge Bangabandhu Bridge a day.

Apart from this, considering all the factors, the Bangladesh Railway has taken up two projects—one for constructing the rail bridge and another for constructing a dual-gauge double line from Joydebpur to Ishwardi.