State minister says 47km of Ctg-Cox's Bazar rail line will be raised by 5ft

The government has drawn up a plan to elevate a 47km stretch of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway line by 5ft to stop water from submerging the tracks.

State Minister for Railways Habibur Rashid shared the plan on Wednesday while visiting waterlogged tracks in the city's Sholoshahar Shamsher Para.

Rashid said the bidding process for the extensive infrastructure upgrade is already complete, adding that raising the tracks will ensure trains continue running even if the water level rises by an additional 3ft.

“The rain over the past two days has been record-breaking. Some say Chattogram hasn't seen this much rain in 45 years. Even so, the plan going forward is to raise the rail line to a level where heavy rain won't disrupt services,” he added.

Dismissing allegations of structural flaws in the newly built line, Rashid argued that the current waterlogging stems solely from unprecedented weather conditions.

He said the authorities are meticulously tracking the depth of the inundation, which currently ranges from 2ft to 3ft across different sections, to guide the 5ft elevation project.

The minister justified the suspension of train services on the route by citing severe safety hazards for passengers, promising that all ticket holders affected by the cancellations will receive full refunds.

Chattogram logged 412mm of rainfall in 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest in 42 years, leaving several parts of the port city under water.

Water entered the tracks near Sholoshahar's Sunnia Madrasa amid the downpour.

With water pooled on the tracks, the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar-bound Parjatak Express got stuck a short distance past Sholoshahar Railway Station, after a tree also fell across the line.

The train was brought back to the station around 4pm on Tuesday, before being moved to Chattogram Station around 9pm.

After passengers endured a gruelling day-long ordeal, the Parjatak Express service was cancelled around 11pm on Tuesday.

Separately, the Cox's Bazar Express, which had left Dhaka on Tuesday night, reached Chattogram Station early Wednesday morning.

But with water still covering that stretch of track, it too was unable to continue to Cox's Bazar, and its service was cancelled as well.