Dhaka–Chittagong high-speed railway

The Dhaka–Chittagong high-speed railway is a proposed high-speed rail line connecting Dhaka, the capital and largest city, with the southeast harbour city of Chittagong. The project is estimated to cost ৳96,752 crore (US$11.4 billion).[1]

Dhaka–Chittagong high-speed railway
Overview
Owner(undeclared)
Line number1
Service
Operator(s)(undeclared)
Technical
Line length227.3 km (141.2 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV AC, 50 Hz, overhead catenary
Operating speed300 km/h (190 mph)
Route map

Dhaka
Narayanganj
Cumilla
Feni
Chittagong

The travel time between Dhaka and Chittagong will be 73 minutes for trains stopping at intermediate stations, and 55 minutes for nonstop trains. The ticket cost for one-way journey will be ৳2,000 without any discount or concession, more than three times higher than a conventional seat on current inter-city trains.[1]

History

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On May 31, 2018, Bangladesh Railway signed an agreement with the China Railway Design Corporation and Mazumder Enterprise.[2] This contract is designed to verify the design and feasibility of proposed high-speed train lines. According to this agreement, feasibility and design work will be completed in December 2019 at a cost of Tk102.10 crore.[1][3] The government of Bangladesh is bearing this cost.[1][4]

It is expected to reduce travel time to between 55 and 73 minutes between Dhaka and Chittagong while current inter-city trains has to spend around six hours of travel time are needed to cover the distance by the current 321 km (199 mi) metre-gauge railways. The new route will be 227.3 km (141.2 mi), making the route 90 kilometres (55 mi) shorter.[a] 464.2 hectares (4.642 km2) of land will be needed to be acquired by Bangladesh Railway to implement the project.[1]

Chinese companies and the World Bank have shown interest in providing funding for the project through public–private partnership and build-own-operate models.[5][6][7]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Dhaka to Ctg in one hour!". Dhaka Tribune. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh to test high-speed rail feasibility on key route". Railway Technology. 1 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Contract signed for feasibility study of high speed train". New Age. 5 Jun 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Dhaka-Chittagong high-speed rail link likely by 2022". Dhaka Tribune.
  5. ^ "WB considering aid to Dhaka-Ctg high-speed train, 4 more projects". The Business Standard. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  6. ^ Adhikary, Tuhin Shubhra (2022-12-10). "Dhaka-Ctg high speed railway project: China firm seeks to 'build-own-operate'". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  7. ^ "Two China firms offer $4.9b bid". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2024-03-11.