Trial Train Run on Dhaka-Mawa Section Thursday

The Bangladesh Railway is going to start a trial run of a special train on the Mawa-Bhanga section crossing through the Padma Bridge on Thursday morning.

The train will start its journey from Kamalapur Railway Station at 8:45 a.m. and reach Bhanga at 11:54 a.m., senior information officer of the Railways Ministry Shiraj ud Doula Khan said.

Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, Secretary of the Ministry of Railways Dr. Mohammad Humayun Kabir, and other officials will be on board.

"We hope the trial run of the special train will be done on Thursday from Mawa to Bhanga through Padma Multipurpose Bridge," Afzal Hossain, Project Director of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project said.

He said a test run of a train of the Padma Bridge rail link between Faridpur's Bhanga and the Padma Bridge viaduct at Shariatpur was conducted earlier.

"The project will be implemented within June 2024. We have already completed 99 percent of the work from Mawa to Bhanga. The construction of the rail link is moving fast," Afzal added.

Under the fast-track project, he said, the Bangladesh Railway is implementing the project to connect the capital with Jashore with a 169km rail line for Taka 392.47 billion, with Exim Bank of China providing Taka 210.37 billion as loan, according to the project details.

It said the Chinese government-nominated contractor, China Railway Group Limited, is implementing the project under the China G2G system.

After completing the project, the railway connectivity will improve accessibility to the capital city of Dhaka and the central and southwestern regions of the country through the Padma Bridge, covering new areas of Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, and Narail districts, according to the project details.

The project will establish alternate railway connectivity linking Dhaka-Jessore-Khulna with a 212.05 km shorter route and improved operational facilities, it added.

It will also establish another sub-route of the Trans-Asian Railway Network in Bangladesh and introduce national, regional, and international freight and BG container train service as this route will be free from speed and load restrictions for carrying containers.

The government approved the construction of the 169-kilometer railway line from Dhaka to Jessore in March 2016, and it is listed as a fast-track project.