Trains will run on Dohazari-Cox's Bazar route in October: Railway Secretary
Railway Secretary Humayun Kabir said that the railway line affected by the floods will be repaired soon and the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar rail link will be opened in October.
On Friday (August 18) morning, he visited the flood-damaged railway line in Satkania, Chattogram, and told reporters.
The railway secretary said that the flood-damaged railway line will be repaired soon after sitting with the technical team. The Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway will be officially launched in the last week of October after the trial run in the first week of October after completing all the works around September.
In response to the complaint of the residents that the rail track has been damaged due to not keeping enough number of bridge-culverts to maintain the flow of water in the railway line project, he said that the project is being implemented after many tests.
More culverts have been laid than what was supposed to be laid before the commencement of the project. More culverts will be provided if required.
Director General of Railways Qamrul Ahsan was present during the visit. Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Project Director Mofizur Rahman and related people were also present.
Recently, the under-construction Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway line has been damaged by the severe floods in Satkania of South Chittagong. The soil and rock from under the railway line has bent the line in different parts of Satkania section.
Meanwhile, the Tama Construction authority said that if the decision of the Ministry is received, the damaged part of the railway line can be repaired in a short time. Therefore, it will not take extra time to complete the project.
The construction of 88 km railway line of 100 km railway from Chattogram's Dohazari to Cox's Bazar has been completed. The construction of the remaining 12 kilometers was to be completed within the next month and a half and this special project was supposed to be inaugurated in October itself.
It is reported that the 100 km railway construction project from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar via Ramu was approved by ECNEC on July 6, 2010. The project is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2022. Later, the duration of the project was extended up to 30 June 2024. The cost has been estimated at TK. 18 thousand 34 crore 48 lakh. Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing loan support for the project. Although the duration of the project increased, the cost did not increase.
On 27 April 2016, the project was included as a 'Fast Track Project'. If the railway line is built, Bangladesh will join the Trans-Asian Railway Corridor with Myanmar and China.
In the first phase, a 100 km railway is being constructed from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar via Ramu. More than 80 percent of which has been completed. In the second phase, 28.725 km of new single line dual gauge track will be constructed from Ramu to Ghumdhum near Myanmar.