200 broad gauge coaches to arrive from India: railways minister

Railways minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam today, Thursday said in parliament that the supply of 200 broad gauge coaches from India is expected to begin this year, with all coaches set to be added to the Bangladesh Railway fleet by December 2027.

Responding to a tabled question from opposition (Jamaa-e-Islami) lawmaker Md Elias Molla (Faridpur-1), the minister said the coaches would be procured under a project funded by the European Investment Bank. He added that the delivery is expected to take place between June 2026 and December 2027.

The minister said that once the coaches are received, Bangladesh Railway will take initiatives to determine routes for operating new trains. He also noted that the arrival of these coaches would make it possible to increase the number of intercity train services on certain routes.

Replying to a starred question from treasury bench lawmaker Md Mosharraf Hossain (Bogura-4), Rabiul Alam said there are currently 3,428.09 kilometres of railway tracks across the country. Of this, 1,591.43 kilometres are metre gauge, 1,066.60 kilometres broad gauge, and 770.06 kilometres dual gauge.

He added that the government is continuing to expand the railway network by installing new broad gauge and dual gauge lines under various projects, based on feasibility and demand.

In response to a question from ruling party lawmaker Mohammad Shamim Kaiser (Gaibandha-4), the minister said that 15 intercity trains are currently operating between Dhaka and the northern districts.

To improve passenger comfort and increase revenue from freight transport, he said the government is working to approve projects to procure 260 broad gauge passenger carriages, 46 broad gauge locomotives, and 50 metre gauge locomotives in the near future.