Country’s longest rail bridge ready for trains, set for official opening soon

Passenger trains have started running on the newly built Jamuna Railway Bridge, which is now the longest rail bridge in Bangladesh.

This comes a full month ahead of its scheduled official inauguration.

The new rail line means that trains will no longer be using the Bangabandhu Bridge, marking a major shift in the country’s railway operations.

The Additional Director General (Infrastructure) of Bangladesh Railway, Al Fattah Mohammad Masudur Rahman, confirmed the launch of train services on the bridge.

He mentioned that the 4.8-kilometer bridge, which stretches over the Jamuna River, will be officially opened on March 18.

Masudur Rahman, who is also the project director, explained that although the bridge has two tracks, trains are initially running on only one of them in both directions.

Before this, several trial runs had been conducted without passengers to ensure the bridge’s readiness.

The construction of this major infrastructure began on November 29, 2020, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has gone into hiding following a public uprising, laid the foundation stone for the dual-gauge, double-track railway bridge.

The piling for the pillars of the bridge commenced in March 2021.

The original estimated cost of the project was set at Tk 9,734.07 crore, but this figure was later revised to Tk 16,780.96 crore.

Of the total, 27.60% was sourced from local funds, while the remaining 72.40% was financed through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Adding a special note to the upcoming event, Masudur Rahman revealed that the President of JICA is expected to be present at the grand inauguration ceremony in March.

This new rail bridge marks a significant achievement in Bangladesh’s railway network, promising faster, safer, and more efficient train services for passengers traveling across the Jamuna River.