The government has decided to increase the advisory cost of the Padma Bridge Rail Link by Tk301.42 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved the proposal to extend the contract period of the advisory firm and increase the cost at a meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.
At the end of the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan informed journalists that the Bangladesh Army, in collaboration with BRTC and Buet (the consultancy firm for the Padma Bridge Rail Link project under the Ministry of Railways), has been granted an additional Tk301.42 crore to extend their contract until May 2024.
As a result, the total expenditure for this project has now reached Tk1,242.27 crore, he added.
Bangladesh Railway ran the first train on the newly constructed Bhanga-Mawa rail line through the Padma Bridge on April 4.
The train traveled at an average speed of 30km per hour and it took only two hours to cover the 42km railway from Bhanga to Mawa station.
On the day of the test inauguration, excited crowds gathered on both sides of the Padma Bridge.
Officials said the new rail route on the Padma Bridge will change the country's rail network.
Currently, the rail distance between Dhaka and Khulna is 460km.
The distance from the capital to Khulna via the Padma Bridge and Jessore railway will be reduced by 212km.
The Padma Bridge rail route is also being connected to the Trans-Asian rail route, which will provide a link with China through Myanmar.
This project will establish rail communication between Dhaka and Jessore through the Padma Bridge, crossing four districts (Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur and Narail).
On the day of the test run, the railway minister told journalists that the overall progress of the project is more than 73%.
The minister expressed hope that passenger rail services would be operational from Dhaka to Bhanga by September.
By June of next year, trains will run on the 172-kilometer railway from Dhaka to Jessore via the Padma Bridge.
The level crossing-free railway line includes 32 rail culverts, 37 underpasses and 13 completed rail bridges.
Fourteen new stations, including those at both ends of the Padma Bridge, have been constructed, and six existing stations have undergone significant upgrades.