Staff correspondent :

Commercial trains will start running on the 82 km long Dhaka-Banga route through Padma Bridge from November 1. The new route is now fully ready for passenger and goods transport. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 82 km long train service via Padma Bridge on October 10. Under the Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project, the 82 km long railway from Dhaka to Bhanga in Faridpur district has fulfilled the long-cherished dream of the people of the southwestern region of the country.
Project Director of Padma Bridge Rail Link Project. Afzal Hossain said that this project is considered as another milestone in the infrastructure development of the country in addition to establishing a connection with the southwestern region of the country. Once fully operational, this rail link will halve the travel time between Dhaka to Jessore, Khulna and other districts, helping to give a major boost to the country’s rail connectivity. Md. Afzal Hossain said that this railway connection will contribute significantly to the country’s economy, as 64 districts of the country will be gradually brought under the railway network. He said that Sundarban, Benapole and Madhumati Express trains are ready for plying through this route in the first phase. Madhumati Express will break through Padma North and go to Rajshahi. Sundarban Express will go to Khulna via Padma Bridge and Benapole Express will go to Benapole in Jessore via Padma Bridge.
There are 10 stations from Dhaka to Bhanga and the stations have been modernized. In the meantime, the country’s largest broken railway station with three floors is being constructed at a cost of 200 crores. The station is a hub consisting of 12 platforms and has all sorts of arrangements to ensure passenger safety and service. Trains will run through the ground floor of the station building.
The new railway station, which has been broken ground, is equipped with a state-of-the-art computer based interlink system, which will increase the track capacity as well as ensure the safety of train movement.
Md. Afzal Hossain said that due to the construction of this railway, the travel distance from Dhaka to Khulna will be about 215 km and the distance from Dhaka to Jessore will be reduced to 193 km. The new railway will be added as domestic route as well as inter-country route. Apart from domestic connectivity, the new railway line will also be used as an international route. With integration into the Trans-Asian Corridor, freight capacity will increase in the future. To exploit this opportunity, the government is building 18 economic zones in the southwestern region.
Afzal also said that the state-of-the-art railway will create seamless transportation of goods with the country’s three sea ports of Chittagong, Mongla and Pazra and the country’s largest land port of Benapole and will be directly connected to Dhaka.
Already 97.5 percent of Mawa-Bhanga section, 85 percent of Dhaka-Mawa section and 80 percent of Bhanga-Jesore section have already been completed. He said that the railway work from Bhanga to Jessore is progressing at a fast pace and more than 85 percent of the work has already been completed. The rest of the work is expected to be completed by June next year. This railway project has 20 stations. All works of the station are in final stage. It is expected that all 10 stations of the Dhaka-Bhanga section will be operational from November 1. Work for passenger services including lift and escalator for passenger service is progressing rapidly.