Staff Correspondent:

The government has taken up a Tk 1,791.66 crore development project to renovate and maintain railway tracks in the eastern zone of Bangladesh Railway in a bid to improve safety, expand capacity and enhance overall passengers 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 (GoB) and implemented over four years—from July 2025 to June 2029—by Bangladesh Railway, according to a project document.

According to the document, the main objective of this development project are development and capacity enhancement of the existing rail communication up to Chittagong, Noakhali, Mymensingh and Jamuna Bridge Railways, increase the quality of services and increase the capacity of goods transportation and enhancing revenue income of the Bangladesh Railway.

The eastern zone of Bangladesh Railway comprises around 1,503.61 km of 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 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 rails, sleepers, and fittings, filling ballast deficiencies, and introducing mechanised tamping and maintenance systems.

Although several new rail links have been developed in the eastern region in recent years many existing lines remain old and dilapidated.

Due to high costs, regular maintenance of these lines has not been feasible under the current revenue budget, officials said.

This has led to deteriorating track conditions prompting the need for comprehensive upgrades under a dedicated development initiative.

According to the Planning Commission, the project will improve approximately 1,500 kilometers of track infrastructure on key routes linking Dhaka with Chattogram, Noakhali, Sylhet, Mymensingh, and the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge.

Maintenance gangs are currently deployed across the eastern zone to oversee operations and ensure track security.

In critical situations, nighttime patrols are also arranged.

The project document recommends installing CCTV surveillance under the Signal and Telecom Department for enhanced security to be funded under the revenue budget.

A feasibility study conducted by the Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC) found the project to be both financially and economically viable.