Dhaka-Joydebpur rail expansion: 3yr project now to take 15; cost rises fourfold

GBNEWS24DESK//

The Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur railway expansion project is a glaring example of how poor planning, bad decisions and lack of coordination among different government agencies result in huge waste of public money.

If the latest revision of cost and deadline is approved, the project that was supposed to be completed in three years will now take 15 and cost Tk 3,265.76 crore, almost four times the original estimate.

Bangladesh Railway (BR) undertook the project in November 2012 to improve the capacity of a vital section that connects the capital with most of the country’s rail network.

It was undertaken without any feasibility study and detailed design, BR officials said.

The Tk 848.60 crore project, aimed at constructing a third and fourth dual-gauge railway lines on the Dhaka-Tongi route and a second dual-gauge line on the Tongi-Joydebpur route, was supposed to be completed within June 2015.

But physical works could start only in February 2019, mainly due to complexities over design and tendering process. The deadline was extended until 2023 in phases.

But, the project, which is implemented with Indian Lines of Credit, has seen just 58.25 percent progress and project authorities recently sought time until June 2027 and Tk 2,158.96 crore more.

Construction of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway over the rail line in the capital is the main reason project authorities sought the extension last month, current Project Director Nazneen Ara Keya told The Daily Star yesterday.

Physical work of the railway project from the capital’s Khilgaon to Kamalapur has not started because of expressway construction, she said.

Complexities over land acquisition, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the long delay in starting physical work are other major reasons, the project director said.

Increase of work, redesign of the Turag Bridge, increase in land acquisition costs, and the strong dollar are the major reasons behind the cost escalation, she added.

Dhaka is connected with the entire country’s rail network, except Narayanganj, through the Dhaka-Tongi section. This is also part of the Trans-Asian Railway network.