Proposed elevated railway to cut Dhaka–Chattogram distance by 80km

Image- Collected

The government has proposed an 81-kilometre elevated railway from Shyampur in Dhaka to Cumilla at an estimated cost of Tk 839.01 billion. The alternative route could shorten the rail distance between Dhaka and Chattogram by 80 kilometres and reduce travel time by 1.5 to 2 hours.

Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman announced the plan at a government briefing on Tuesday. Construction is expected to take four years after land acquisition, though the government’s top level will make the final decision on whether the entire line will be elevated.

Building the line entirely on elevated structures could save around 322 acres of land. A mixed design using embankments and elevated sections would cost an estimated Tk 735.77 billion.

The proposed double-track broad-gauge railway would support future electric train operations, carry axle loads of up to 25 tonnes and have a design speed of 160 km/h, with a maximum operating speed of 140 km/h.