Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the Laksham-Chinki double railway lines on the Dhaka-Chittagong route through a video conference today. The conference will take place at 3pm at Laksham Railway junction in Comilla.
Sources in the Railway Ministry said upon inauguration of the 61km double lines, the passenger trains and cargo trains will be able to cross greater distances within a shorter span of time. The passenger trains will take an hour while the cargo trains will take a few hours less to cross the distance.
Via the new double lines, trains are expected to cross 120km per hour. The cargo trains will take 15 to 22 hours to reach Dhaka from the Chittagong port. Currently, the cargo trains stay at a halt for hours at the station for smooth movement of passenger trains. With the inauguration of the new lines, the container congestion will ease and goods will be transported faster.
Railway Minister Md Mujibul Haque yesterday said entire railways will be made double lines in phases to improve rail communication in the country. “As part of building better transportation system, we are planning to construct double line in whole railways to ensure uninterrupted rail communication,” he said while visiting double rail lines at Laksam Railway Junction.
Local lawmaker Tajul Islam, director general of Bangladesh Railways Amjad Hossain and senior officials of the ministry, were present on the occasion. Mujibul said: “We are taking up several new projects for building modern rail networks to ensure smooth services for passengers. Many projects have so far been completed successfully for expansion of railways across the country.”
Project Director Liaquat Ali said the Tk1748 crore project for constructing the double rail lines from Laksam to Sinki Astana on Dhaka-Chittagong rail routes was completed on March 31 this year. The construction started on November 2, 2011.
The Railway Minister said currently 36 pairs of trains travel on 204km single line railway lines on the Dhaka-Chittagong rail routes every day. After opening the double line railways, 70 pairs of trains be able to move per day.