Along with motorised vehicles, Padma Bridge will also be open to trains when the bridge is inaugurated, the tentative date of which has been set in December 2018.
“We hope to open the rail connectivity from the very first day” Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said yesterday in presence of Railways Minister Md Mazibul Hoque.
However, the Railways Ministry have yet to float any tender to construct the railway connectivity through the bridge.
Asked about the recent increase in the bridge’s cost, Quader said: “There is nothing to be concerned about the increased cost for the construction of Padma Bridge. The project cost has increased to Tk28,700 crore from the cost was first estimated in 2010 because the price of dollar has increased.
“We will earn back the expenditure – we are estimating to earn Tk34,034 crore in the first year of opening, which is more than our estimated cost. We will earn more in the coming years as well.”
An MoU was also signed between the bridge authority and Bangladesh Railway to arrange land for the proposed railway bridge over the Jamuna River.