Trial run on Ctg-Cox’s Bazar rail route on 2 Nov: Minister

A trial run on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar rail route will be conducted on 2 November, Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan said today.

"A trial run of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway, with a complete train, is scheduled for 2 November, prior to the official inauguration by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 12 November," the minister said after inspecting the progress of the single-line dual gauge track from Ramu to Cox's Bazar.

The railway minister said the remaining works are anticipated to be finished by 30 October. A trial run will be carried out to confirm the readiness of the newly constructed railway line in preparation for its inauguration.

He also said the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway line will be connected with the Matarbari deep sea port in the future.

The minister left for Cox's Bazar by motor trolley from Dohazari station around 10 am.

Previously, he conducted an inspection of the repair work on Kalurghat Bridge.

Subsequently, the Minister of Railways provided the journalists with an update on the progress of the repair efforts for Kalurghat Bridge.

He also confirmed that the installation of the rail track on the bridge had been successfully accomplished.

The refurbishment of this ageing bridge posed a hindrance to commencing train operations on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar rail line.

The 100-kilometre dual-gauge railway line connecting Chattogram to Cox's Bazar is currently under development, with a budget exceeding Tk18,000 crore. The rail line will have nine new stations, improving accessibility to Cox's Bazar.

On 3 April 2011, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina initiated the construction of the metre-gauge railway line, which initially extended up to Dohazari-Ramu-Cox's Bazar.

Railway Eastern General Manager Jahangir Hossain confirmed that the Railway Minister had inspected the railway line, emphasising that the construction of the new railway line to Cox's Bazar had been successfully completed, and all preparations were in place for the commencement of train services.

Initially, the government had planned to construct a metre-gauge rail line from Chattogram to Gundhum in Cox's Bazar, with a budget of Tk1,852.35 crore allocated in 2010. However, a subsequent decision was made to upgrade it to a dual-gauge line that extends to Cox's Bazar town, resulting in a higher overall cost.

Funding for this fast-track project is being provided by the Asian Development Bank, and it is divided into two portions: 88 km from Dohazari to Ramu and 12 km from Ramu to Cox's Bazar.