Tk 84,000cr elevated railway proposed from Dhaka to Cumilla

The Ministry of Railways has proposed constructing an 81-kilometre elevated railway line from Shyampur in Dhaka to Cumilla, which could reduce the rail distance between Dhaka and Chattogram by 80 kilometres and cut travel time by 1.5 to two hours.

Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman disclosed the proposal at a regular press briefing at the Secretariat on Tuesday, held to inform journalists about the government’s activities. The details were also provided in a written statement.

Zahed Ur Rahman said, "the project’s preliminary estimated cost stood at Tk 83,901 crore. Construction would take four years after completion of land acquisition. However, a final decision on whether the entire railway line would be elevated would be made at the highest level of the government."

The Ministry of Railways initially proposed building the entire line on an elevated structure. The proposal was presented to the ministry on October 5.

The adviser said, "constructing the entire railway line on an elevated structure would save around 322 acres of land. A mixed design combining embankments and elevated structures would cost approximately Tk 73,577 crore, while the fully elevated option would require an additional Tk 10,324 crore."

According to the technical details presented at the briefing, the proposed line would support electric train operations in the future. The double-track broad-gauge railway would be capable of carrying an axle load of 25 tonnes.

The line would have a designed maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour, while its maximum operating speed would be 140 kilometres per hour.

-MT