20 Chinese trains to ply in Dhaka, Ctg
Modern trains will be introduced in Dhaka and Chittagong by the next year to make commuting with their adjoining districts fast and easier.
Bangladesh Railway (BR) and Tangshan Railway Vehicle Company Ltd, a Chinese private firm, inked an agreement on the $58.31 million project at the railway headquarters in the capital yesterday.
The railway will procure 20 sets of diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU), a multiple carriage train, from the Chinese company.
The service will be available on seven routes — Dhaka-Joydevpur, Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Bhairab Bazar, Chittagong-Feni, Chittagong-Nazirhat and Chittagong-Dohazari — by the end of the next year.
Project Director Saidur Rahman said DEMU trains will be introduced later on two northern routes — Dinajpur-Parbatipur-Rangpur and Lalmonirhat-Parbatipur-Saidpur.
“The service will be introduced first in the Dhaka zone and then in other regions in phases,” he said.
The commuter trains with at least 300 seats each travel at a speed of 80 kilometres an hour.
DEMU trains are fitted with electric traction motors powered by an on-board diesel engine, and don’t require any overhead electric lines.
Such trains are suitable for areas with high traffic density or suburban areas. DEMU trains are in operation in many countries including neighbouring India.
“The Chinese company has affirmed that it will finish the entire project within the next 15 months. We will introduce the train service as soon as we receive the diesel-electric multiple units,” Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain told reporters after the signing of the agreement.
Replying to a query, Abul Hossain said the government has taken initiative to modernise the country’s largest railway workshop in Saidpur of Nilphamari.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
