Jamuna Railway Bridge: Train operations begin today, official inauguration in March

Following a trial journey, passenger train operations have now officially begun on the railway bridge over the Jamuna.

This morning, the Silk City Express, departing from Rajshahi, crossed the bridge.

According to Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman, the director of the Jamuna Railway Bridge construction project, trains will now operate regularly on this route.

Speaking to Prothom Alo at approximately 10:30am today, Wednesday, he stated, “At around 10:00am, the Silk City train crossed the bridge. Other trains on this route will also use this bridge for travel.”

Masudur Rahman stated that the railway bridge comprises two tracks. In the initial phase, trains will operate in both directions using a single track.

The official inauguration of the railway bridge is scheduled for 18 March, with the presence of senior officials including communication adviser.

From that day onwards, trains will begin operating on both tracks. Trains will be able to run at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour on this bridge.

Gautam Mandol, the Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) of the Pakshi railway division, told Prothom Alo that a total of 34 trains will operate on this bridge daily. Following the official inauguration, the number may increase. The commencement of train operations on this bridge marks the opening of a new gateway for connectivity with the northern region.

After the inauguration of the Bangabandhu Bridge over the Jamuna River in 1998, railway connectivity between Dhaka and the north-western region commenced. However, in 2008, cracks were detected in the bridge, leading to a reduction in train speeds.

To address this issue, the government initiated the construction of a separate railway bridge upstream over the Jamuna River on 3 March 2020.

Consequently, the plan for this 4.80 kilometre long dual-gauge double-track railway bridge, parallel to the Bangabandhu Bridge, was approved. The foundation stone for the railway bridge was laid on 29 November 2020.

Initially, the estimated construction cost of the project was set at Tk 97.34 billion (Tk 9,734 crore 7 lakh). However, it was later revised to Tk 167.81 billion (Tk 16,780 crore 96 lakh). Of this amount 27.60 per cent was financed from domestic sources, while 72.40 per cent was provided as a loan by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The construction of the country’s largest railway bridge is being implemented by the Japanese companies OTG and IHI.

At the inception of the project, the bridge was named the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge. However, after the interim government came to power, the name was changed to Jamuna Railway Bridge in December last year.