Bangladesh Railway appoints French company as consultant for building repair workshop
An agreement for the appointment of a consultant for the construction of the Coach and Wagon Repair Workshop at Rajbari was signed at Railway Bhaban today. The agreement was signed on behalf of Bangladesh Railway by the concerned Project Director Mohammad Kudrat E Khuda and on behalf of the consultant was signed by Systra South Asia Managing Director Hari Somalraju.
"There are two types of gauge systems in Bangladesh railways. Meter gauge and broad gauge. We have taken the initiative of converting meter gauge to broad gauge in a phased manner. We have not yet developed our railway system in the way that railways have been developed as cost-effective and environment-friendly in the developed world. The railway system in our country is still diesel-powered whereas in neighboring India almost all trains are electric powered," Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan said at the signing ceremony on Wednesday (16 November), said a press release.
"We will be able to repair the existing and future coaches and wagons of our fleet thanks to this repair workshop," he added.
As a result of the Padma bridge rail connection, communication will be established with Rajbari and different regions of the country, so it will be possible to repair coaches and wagons and run them all over the country from here. Rail links will be established in every district. A link will be established with the Trans Asian Railway," he further said.
The minister said that initiatives have been taken to build a new railway system.
He also mentioned that many projects have been undertaken.
"Out of ten priority projects of the government, two are underway on railways. Dohazari to Cox's Bazar, Padma Bridge Rail Link Project. Five of the eight intersection points with India have been commissioned. Initiatives have been taken to facilitate trade and travel with neighboring countries. Passenger trains are running between Dhaka to Kolkata and Siliguri," the minister said.
France's Systra, the firm selected to build the workshop at Rajbari, will prepare feasibility studies and bid documents with detailed designs within the next 16 months.
Secretary of the Ministry of Railways Dr Md. Humayun Kabir, Director General of Bangladesh Railways Dhirendranath Majumdar along with senior officials of the Ministry of Railways and Bangladesh Railways were present at the signing ceremony.