Zero progress in four years

The much-important project to establish rail connectivity with India through the Parbatipur-Kaunia rail route has made virtually no progress in the past four years.

The government had authorized the project to transform about 67 kilometres of meter gauge rail line into dual gauge to provide railway transit to India, Nepal and Bhutan and increase trade among the countries.

The project worth Tk 1,683 crore was approved on February 27, 2018, at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

Out of the estimated project cost, Tk 1,367 crore was supposed to come from an Indian Line of Credit (LoC) and the rest of nearly Tk 316 crore was expected to come from the national treasury.

Subsequently, Bangladesh Railway, under the Ministry of Railways, was directed to implement the project by December 2022.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway, the project's implementing agency, said it was unable to hire a consultancy firm in the last four years because India, which was supposed to finance 81 per cent of the cost, failed to disburse any funds under the LoC.

Speaking on the matter, Liaquat Sharif Khan, project director and additional chief engineer of Bangladesh Railway, said: “The dual gauge conversion of the rail section from Dinajpur’s Parbatipur to Rangpur’s Kaunia has yet to begin as the project's work is governed by an Indian LoC. Therefore, as soon as India releases the funds, the project will begin.”

“We will begin by appointing a project consultant. As the work begins, the project's time frame will be extended by one year since the work cannot be completed within the initially set time period,” he added.

The project will include the construction of a 66.85-kilometre rail track, 9.85-kilometre loop lines, and a 602-meter bridge, as well as the renovation of the signalling system.

The rail section went through a renovation scheme from 1987 to 1992. Since then the lifespan of the slippers has already expired and other infrastructures have been worn out.

Plying inter-city trains is not possible on this worn-out rail track. Even local trains cannot get proper acceleration.

Bangladesh and India have been laying emphasis on inter-country rail communication, according to the 2018 proposal from the planning ministry.

The Indian part has a broad gauge rail line, while Bangladesh's is a meter gauge. If Bangladesh's rails are transformed into broad gauge trains can run between the two countries.

By transforming the rail link from Parbatipur to Kaunia to broad gauge, Bangladesh can establish railway transit with India, Nepal and Bhutan through the Rohanpur-Singabad railway link and Radhikapur-Birol railway link.