Dhaka: The first-ever double line dual gauge railway bridge over the river Jamuna is scheduled to begin operations in the third week of February, according to an official familiar with the project. “The inaugural ceremony for the operation of trains over the Jamuna railway bridge will be held in the third week of February,” Additional Director General of Bangladesh Railway Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman told BSS.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Bangladesh Railway is organizing the ‘Bridge Completion Ceremony’ at 11 am on March 18 at the project site. Dr. Tanaka Akihiko, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is expected to attend the event. Dr. Akihiko is slated to arrive in Dhaka on March 16. The installation of computer-based interlocking signaling work is currently underway to ensure smooth train movement on the bridge. The project authority has completed the construction of the main bridge, with an overall progress of 98 percent.
The project’s details reveal that the total length of the bridge is 4.8 kilometers, making it the largest dedicated rail bridge in the country. It was constructed with a total investment of Taka 16,780 crore. Necessary preparations are underway for the bridge’s commercial operation in February, as test runs and other measurements have been successfully completed.
The project cost has been estimated at Taka 16,780.95 crore, of which Taka 13,000 crore was allocated for construction work and over Taka 3,000 crore for additional costs. The financial backing for the construction work came from JICA, which provided around Taka 12,000 crore, while the remaining funds came from the Government of Bangladesh (GOB). Two Japanese joint-venture firms have been executing the main work of the project, which was initiated in 2016.
The dual-gauge double-track bridge, which includes a gas pipeline facility, is being constructed approximately 300 meters upstream of the Bangabandhu Bridge, which currently has a single rail line. In December 2016, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the bridge project with an initial budget of Taka 9,734 crore, setting a completion deadline for December 2023. However, the physical work commenced in August 2020, with the foundation work beginning in March 2021.
The new railway bridge is anticipated to positively impact the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. It will enhance the capacity of Bangladesh Railway (BR) to operate more trains between the capital and the western part of the country, reducing train delays. The new rail bridge can accommodate 88 trains daily, in contrast to the maximum of 22 trains that can currently travel on the single line dual gauge Bangabandhu Bridge each day.