Construction work expected to begin by December

CHATTOGRAM, Sep 11: Construction work on the 59.5-kilometre Chattogram-Dohazari railway project is expected to begin by December this year, with the final contractors for its two sections likely to be selected this month.

“Five tenders have been shortlisted from 18 tenders submitted earlier for appointment as construction contractors for the project,” said Project Director Engineer Asadul Huq.

He said the final contractors for the two sections would be selected at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) this month.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project’s financier, has already given its consent to the tenders, Asadul Huq added.

A total of 18 local and foreign tenders were submitted for the project. Of these, seven were submitted for the first section, from Chattogram to Ghumdandi, while 11 were submitted for the second section, from Ghumdandi to Dohazari.

Meanwhile, the ADB and the Bangladesh government have signed loan agreements totalling $688 million to upgrade the Chattogram-Dohazari railway line.

Under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation-Chattogram-Dohazari Railway Project, a 2.5-kilometre bypass will also be constructed from Pahartali to Sholashahar. The bypass will enable direct train services from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar without stopping at Chattogram Railway Station.

The project aims to establish seamless connectivity along the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar corridor and improve regional transport efficiency and economic activity.

It is also expected to boost economic activities along the corridor, particularly in the tourism and fisheries sectors, by stimulating investment and trade in underserved areas of the Cox's Bazar region.

The project is further expected to strengthen the Bangladesh Railway network and enhance the country's capacity to function as a transport and transhipment hub in South Asia.

Meanwhile, the government has planned to raise the Chattogram-Dohazari railway line by around five feet to improve its resilience against flooding, State Minister for Railways Habibur Rashid recently said.

He made the remarks while inspecting flood-affected sections of the railway after days of heavy rainfall submerged parts of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway line, forcing the suspension of train services.

Speaking to reporters at Chattogram Railway Station, he said the government intended to raise the approximately 47-kilometre Chattogram-Dohazari line by around five feet to make it more resilient to flooding.