Cox’s Bazar – home to the world’s longest beach – has long been dreaming of getting connected to the rest of Bangladesh through railway, and the dream is finally becoming a reality.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate the Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail line on Saturday. Industry insiders have expressed optimism that the country’s tourism sector will get a boost because of the ease of movement to the tourist town through trains.
The number of foreign tourists will go up as well. In addition to passenger trains, if cargo train services are launched, it will be easier to transport goods to and from the Matarbari deep sea port. This will open the door to an investment boom in south Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.
Cox’s Bazar residents too are excited about the prospects the new railway service would bring in the coming days, stating that rail communication is as vital to a region as an international air route.
Transportation of agricultural products, fish, and salt through the new railway service would allow delivery in shorter timeframes and lower costs. As a result, apart from tourism in Cox's Bazar, new horizons will open up in the country’s overall economy.
Tanjia Norin, a student at Chattogram University and resident of Cox's Bazar, said, “The train is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I will visit my home when the service starts, as I have not been there for four years because of my fear of buses.
“I no longer have to fear getting motion sickness during my journeys. I can visit my home whenever I want.”
Prof Moinul Hasan Palash, chairman of Tourism Department at Cox's Bazar City University College, said, “Come cheaply, stay cheaply and eat cheaply is the mantra of tourism development.
“Anyone visiting Cox’s Bazar from anywhere has to endure suffering when travelling by land. Commuting will be much easier when rail connectivity becomes operational. People will be able to visit this destination at a cheaper cost, and the number of tourists will definitely go up.”
Abu Morshed Chowdhury, president of Cox's Bazar Chamber, said, “Rail communication will bring radical positive changes. It will be easier to transport goods to and from Matarbari deep sea port if cargo trains start operating along with passenger trains.
“It will expand businesses and help build new industrial factories.”
Matarbari-centric planning
Speaking to The Business Post, Chattogram Chamber President Omar Hazzaz said, “The government is implementing the Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail line project as part of the Matarbari-centric planning, and multimodal communication system for economic development.
“This initiative will introduce rail connectivity between Cox's Bazar and Chattogram and the North-eastern states of India. This in turn will simultaneously become an easier and more cost-effective medium for import-export trade.
He added, “The government implemented the Bangabandhu Tunnel project as an alternative link between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar for the road route, and also built this railway route as a multimodal and alternative means of communication.
“As a result, these initiatives will bring a significant boost in trade and commerce across the Chattogram region.”
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) President Mahbub Alam said, “When the Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail link is launched, there will be a revolutionary change in the tourism sector.
“But the boom should be managed in a planned manner. In particular, Cox’s Bazar-Saint Martin’s Island should be developed as a tourism hub. Our neighbouring country Maldives earns $14 billion – $15 billion annually from the sector. We have this potential too.”
According to railway project officials, in 2010, a 128km railway project was taken up from Chattogram's Dohazari to Ramu in Cox's Bazar, and from Ramu to Ghumdhum – near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
The project’s main objectives are to ease the commute from and to Cox's Bazar, and connecting Bangladesh with Trans-Asian Railway, including Myanmar.
Chattogram already had railway tracks up to Dohazari for train movement from Dhaka. The first phase of the 100.83 km railway from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar is in progress. The distance from Ramu to Ghumdhum is 28 km, and work on the second phase is yet to begin.
The initial cost of this railway project was Tk 1,852 crore. After a project revision in 2016, the expenditure rose to Tk 1,834 crore.
The construction of this priority project by the government began in July 2018.
Chinese contractor China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), Toma Construction Company of Bangladesh, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Max Infrastructure Limited of Bangladesh are working in two separate parts.
The project tenure is till June 2024, and it is being financially supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The initiative covers the construction of 39 major bridges, 223 minor bridges and culverts, and 96 level crossings of different categories.
There are two underpasses for elephants. Besides, nine stations have also been built – Dohazari, Satkania, Lohagara, Harbang, Chakaria, Dulahazra, Islamabad, Ramu and Cox's Bazar.
Ruhul Quader Azad, Railway Inspector at the Department of Railway Inspection, said, “The Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar railway has been built using advanced modern technology. The largest railway viaduct in the country has been built on this route.
“This has made the railway line a super track. Trains can run on this railway at a speed of 120 km per hour.”
Project Director of Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Railway Line Engineer Md Sabuktagin said, “Around 94 per cent of the project has been completed, and the railway line is ready for train movement. The transport and mechanical department is prepared to run the service.
“It was supposed to open on November 12, but the schedule has been moved forward.”
Initial train schedule
The train will depart from Dhaka at 9:10pm and reach Cox's Bazar at 6:30am. It will depart from Cox's Bazar at 1pm and return to Dhaka at 9:10pm. The minimum fare from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar is Tk 515.
The maximum AC berth fare will be Tk 2,036. From Chattogram, the fare will be minimum Tk 55 to maximum Tk 778.
