A special train will be operated experimentally from Bhanga of Faridpur to Mawa on the Padma Bridge on April 4.
Padma Bridge Rail Link Project (PBRLP) Director Afzal Hossain confirmed the information Tuesday night.
On November 1, an experimental track car was run on the Padma Bridge connecting the railway from Bhanga in Faridpur to the Jazira end of Padma Bridge in Shariatpur.
According to project sources, 99% of the work has already been completed with the 169km railway line connecting Dhaka-Jessore through the Padma Bridge under the fast-track project. The project will be completed by June 2024, said the project director.
Through this project, a 212.05km short route between Dhaka-Jessore-Khulna will get improved operational facilities. It will establish another sub-route of the Trans-Asian Railway network in Bangladesh.
The Padma Bridge Railway Link Project will be completed in three phases.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the work of the 169km railway has been divided into three parts. The first part is from Gendaria in Dhaka to Mawa in Munshiganj. The second part is from Mawa to Faridpur via Padma bridge. The last part would be the section from Bhanga of Faridpur to Jessore.
When the railway from Dhaka to Bhanga is completed, communication between Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur and Faridpur will be easy, and an alternative route will be opened to Dhaka with the west. The distance between Dhaka and Khulna will be reduced by 212km if train movement is started through the Padma Bridge.
According to project sources, the Padma Bridge railway is being connected to the Asian Railway Network. The proposed route will connect India through the Petrapole border and join the border of Benapole-Jesore-Narail-Bhanga-Mawa-Hinarayanganj-Dhaka-Tongi-Akhaura-Chittagong-Dohajari-Myanmar border.
The government approved the construction of the 169km railway from Dhaka to Jessore in March 2016. It is listed as a fast-track project.
Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated the Padma Bridge on June 25, 2022.
