Tk14,000cr project drafted to halve Dhaka-Sylhet railway journey

The government is moving to replace the tortuous Bhairab-Sylhet section of the colonial-era Dhaka-Sylhet railway line with a more direct route proposed under a five-year project titled ‘Bhairab-Sylhet Direct Railway Construction Project’.
A Development Project Proposal (DPP) valued at Tk14,000 crore has been drafted to construct 140 kilometres of dual-gauge track under the project across Kishoreganj, Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, Sunamganj and Sylhet.
Built between 1891 and 1896 as part of the Assam-Bengal Railway, the Dhaka-Sylhet railway line was not designed for optimal point-to-point travel in modern Bangladesh. It was originally built to serve the tea estates and logistics routes connecting present-day Assam and Tripura in India.
The Bhairab-Sylhet section, containing sharp curves and extensive detours, significantly increases the distance and travel time.
The proposed project will cut train travel time between Bhairab and Sylhet from four hours to just two hours, and the overall Dhaka-Sylhet journey from the current seven to eight hours to roughly three to four hours.
The project, scheduled to begin this year, will lower transport costs and increase annual passenger capacity by an estimated 20 lakh passengers.
The government will finance Tk8,000 crore, while Tk6,000 crore will be sought in foreign assistance for the project, with JICA and ADB identified as potential development partners.
The project proposal includes the construction of eight new stations, 30 major and medium-sized bridges and 100 culverts, along with modern electronic signalling and communication systems. It also includes the acquisition of roughly 800 hectares of land, while there are plans to conduct an environmental and social impact assessment. The winding tracks of the existing arch-shaped Bhairab-Sylhet section pass directly through the ecologically sensitive Lawachara National Park, a vital biodiversity hotspot and wildlife sanctuary.
BR Director General Md Afzal Hossain said the authorities were trying to modernise the country’s railway network. As part of the government’s plan, the Dhaka-Sylhet railway line would also be modernised, he added.
“Such a plan, if implemented, would boost trade, tourism and investment in Sylhet and other parts of northeastern Bangladesh, in addition to faster travel, which could provide the region with a more effective rail gateway connecting it to the rest of the country,” said Md Ehsan-e-Elahi, a former secretary of the government and former senior railway official.