Railway to Rangamati: A Tk 89bn project on the horizon

The railways ministry plans to connect the remote Chattogram Hill Tracts with the rest of Bangladesh by setting up tracks to Rangamati’s Kaptai.

The project aims to help farmers in the remote areas send their produces to the port city and ease the woes of travellers in and out of the district. The authorities want to finish the work by 2026, depending on the availability of funds.

A top official said that 42.17km-long dual gauge railway tracks will be set up from Janalihat to Kaptai via Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology.

The estimated budget of the proposed project is Tk 89.26 billion. The authorities expect Tk 71.41 billion from foreign donors and the rest of the funds from the government.  

“The railway megaplan includes services for the residents of the hilly districts,” said SM Salimullah Bahar, chief planning officer of Bangladesh Railway. Besides, CUET, one of the important educational institutions in Chattogram, is situated on the route.

Overall, the proposed project aims to serve the people of Kaptai, Rangunia and Raozan.

In the first phase of the project, the authorities want to set up 14.31km railroads from Janalihat in Chattogram to CUET in Raozan with an estimated cost of Tk 41.42 billion. And the 27.86km railtracks from CUET to Kaptai in the second phase will cost Tk 47.84 billion.

Asked about the huge cost, a senior official said most of the funds will be spent on land acquisition. The authorities need to compensate landholders at a rate three times the current prices of land, he said. For the proposed project, they will need to acquire 640 acres of land.   

A total of three bridges, 25 culverts and nine stations will be constructed under the project.

Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said they prepared a Preliminary Development Project Proposal and sent it to the Economic Relations Division with other documents.

The ministry will make a final proposal for approval once the ERD finds a donor.

“The more time is spent to collect funds, the further delay the project will face,” the minister said.

He also hopes the rail connection will attract foreign investment in the region.

Pear Mohammad, additional secretary at ERD’s Asian Development Bank wing, said they have not received any request on the proposed project from the division’s search committee. 

“We will surely seek fund support from the ADB when we get the request. I hope there won’t be any problem in funding the project.”