The work of upgrading 44-km meter gauge (MG) railway line from Pahartali to Dohazari to dual gauge is likely to begin next year to take advantage of the newly constructed Dohazari-Cox's Bazar dual gauge rail track.
Sources said the three-year project will be completed in 2028 and the railway authorities have taken the initiative to upgrade Chattogram city’s Pahartali to Dohazari rail track in line with the newly constructed Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway line.
The cost of the project has been set at over Tk 10,797 crore. The government funding for the project is Tk 3,711 crore while the ADB will provide a loan of Tk 7,086 crore. Most of the land for the project belongs to the railway authorities. However, 56 acres of land will be acquired, which will cost Tk 500 crore.
According to the project officials, the newly constructed 101-km railway from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar has been built in single track dual gauge.
Sources said the existing meter gauge railway from Pahartali to Dohazari in Chattogram will be upgraded to broad gauge railway line to establish a safe and uninterrupted rail connection with the tourist city of Cox's Bazar.
The project includes construction of double line dual gauge bypass track from Pahartali to Jhautala railway station in Chattogram, construction of dual gauge double track from Sholashahar station to link road of Kalurghat bridge, construction of dual gauge track from Gumdandi to Dohazari, reconstruction of three railway stations in that section and renovation of 14 railway stations.
The construction of the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway has already been completed to establish a direct rail link with the tourist town of Cox's Bazar. In order to run Dhaka-Cox's Bazar uninterrupted high-speed train, modernisation of various railway infrastructure and signalling system, including conversion of existing meter gauge track in Chattogram-Dohazari section to broad gauge, is necessary. After implementation of the project, it will be possible to operate high-speed trains from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar uninterruptedly and the sectional capacity of this section (26 pairs of trains daily) will also increase. Also, if the bypass being constructed at Pahartali-Jhautala is implemented, trains bound for Cox's Bazar from Dhaka will no longer have to waste extra time entering Chattogram. It will also save an hour of running time. Apart from the high-speed tourist express train from Chattogram's Sholashahar to Cox's Bazar, it will be possible to operate high-speed trains from Dhaka and Sylhet areas if the project is implemented.
The project was approved in the meeting in November 2023. Project Director Engineer Golam Mostafa said the tender for the project will be floated soon. The meter gauge (MG) railway line will be upgraded to dual gauge via Pahartali-Sholashahar to Dohazari to benefit the public from direct train movement from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar. Construction work will cost more than Tk 10,797 crore.
The work of the project will start in 2025. Even if the project is tendered, it will take up to 2028 to complete the work. If the bypass is constructed at Jhautala in Pahartali, the trains going from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar will not have to spend extra time at Chattogram station. All trains from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar will go directly from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar via Pahartali via Jhautala and Sholashahar. If the project is implemented, it will be possible to operate high-speed trains from Dhaka and Sylhet areas in addition to high-speed tourist express trains from Sholashahar to Cox's Bazar.
