Govt to procure more locomotives, carriages to improve railway services
State Minister for Planning Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki today said the government will procure more locomotives and carriages in phases to improve Bangladesh Railway's passenger and freight services.
He said the government has identified a significant shortage of locomotives, particularly meter-gauge locomotives, and plans to address the gap while gradually transforming the country's railway network.
"The requirement is around 70 to 80 locomotives. The procurement of 30 locomotives under a current project is therefore only the beginning," he told reporters at a briefing following an ECNEC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The state minister said Bangladesh Railway currently operates predominantly on meter-gauge tracks, with around 65 percent of its railway tracks being meter gauge.
He said the transition from meter gauge to dual gauge or standard gauge would take considerable time, with the overall transformation of the railway network projected to continue up to around 2050.
"Until the transformation is completed, we need sufficient meter-gauge locomotives to ensure uninterrupted passenger and freight services," he said.
According to the briefing, the project involving procurement of 30 locomotives has a total estimated cost of Taka 2,769.86 crore. The project will receive joint financing from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The state minister said the shortage of locomotives has already affected railway operations, forcing the authorities to suspend, cancel or reduce services on some routes. The shortage has also created difficulties in freight transportation.
He said locomotives generally have an operational life of about 20 years, although railway authorities can extend their service through repairs and overhauling. Bangladesh Railway has kept many existing meter-gauge locomotives operational through such maintenance, the state minister continued.
Saki said the government has taken a comprehensive initiative to make the railway system more efficient, including accelerating ongoing projects, expanding modern railway infrastructure and strengthening the railway's own maintenance and manufacturing capacity.
He said the government is implementing projects to convert meter-gauge tracks into dual-gauge or standard-gauge tracks. "It is also working to improve railway services during the transition period," he said.
"An initiative is also underway to introduce electric train services. A project has already been approved for an electric railway service between Joydebpur, Dhaka and Narayanganj," the state minister said.
He said another major project seeks to establish a more direct railway connection between Dhaka and Chattogram. "The new alignment is expected to reduce travel time by around two to two-and-a-half hours, making it possible to travel between the two cities within roughly two-and-a-half hours," he hoped.
The government is also advancing the dual-gauge railway connection with the northern region, where a related project has already achieved around 70 percent progress, he said, adding, "We are trying to expedite the ongoing railway projects and establish railway as an efficient service for both passengers and freight transportation."
Saki further said locomotive and carriage procurement projects would follow. At the same time, the government plans to strengthen the capacity of the railway workshops at Parbatipur and Saidpur to manufacture and maintain locomotives and carriages, he added.
"The use of meter-gauge locomotives is declining globally, but Bangladesh will need them for quite some time because a large part of our railway network will remain meter gauge during the transition," he said.
Zonayed Saki said Bangladesh therefore needs to develop its own capacity to maintain existing locomotives and adapt to new railway technologies."Capacity building is equally important. We need to maintain the existing systems while developing the capability to adopt new technologies," he added.
He said the government would continue to bring forward projects in phases to modernise the railway system and improve its operational efficiency.
The state minister said the latest locomotive procurement project represents the first step in a broader programme that will include additional locomotives, carriages and stronger maintenance and manufacturing capacity.
