10 more districts to be brought under railway network: Minister

Ten more districts across the country are set to be brought under the railway network as part of the government's plan to expand rail connectivity, Road Transport, Bridges, Shipping and Railways Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said on Tuesday.

The expansion will mainly cover districts adjacent to Dhaka as well as several districts in the southern region, he said at a press conference held at the conference room of the Press Information Department (PID) at the Secretariat.

The minister said, “The government's long-term objective is to gradually bring all districts under the national railway network. The 10 districts identified for the proposed expansion are Sherpur, Meherpur, Magura, Satkhira, Barishal, Barguna, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur and Lakshmipur.”

He said a recent review meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, discussed the progress of ongoing railway projects, improvements to the country's transport system and measures to enhance service quality. “Several important decisions were taken based on the review,” he added.

According to the minister, the government is planning to implement a number of major projects to strengthen the country's overall transport network. These include the Akhaura-Sylhet and Sirajganj-Bogura railway projects. In addition, an Inland Container Depot (ICD) project at Dhirashram has already received approval.

He also said, “Infrastructure development work is underway on the Dhaka-Chattogram route to improve both metre-gauge and broad-gauge facilities. Plans are in place to construct dual-gauge double lines on the Tongi-Akhaura and Laksam-Sylhet sections to eliminate existing missing links in the network.”

He added that a policy decision has also been taken regarding the proposed Dhaka-Cumilla chord line, and officials have been urged to expedite the project process.

Noting that 49 districts currently have railway connectivity, the minister said the government remains committed to its election pledge of bringing all 64 districts under the railway network.

“As part of that effort, feasibility assessments and project planning are being initiated to extend rail services to the 10 newly identified districts,” he added.