Dhaka: The country’s railway network will be expanded to nine more districts within the tenure of the current government, says Railways Minister Mazibul Hoque, reported a local news agency.

The nine districts are Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Narail, Goplaganj, Bagerhat and Meherpur, reported the United News of Bangladesh (UNB).

‘With the new ones (9 districts), a total of 53 districts will come under railway network,’ the minister said.

He said all the districts will gradually be brought under railway network as per the directive of the Prime Minister and various projects have been undertaken to achieve the target.

Sources at the Bangladesh Railway said Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar will get railway coverage after the construction of a 128-km dual gauge rail track from Chittagong’s Dohajari to Cox’s Bazar via Ramu and from Ramu to Gundum (Myanmar).

The project has already been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) and relevant land acquisition is nearing completion. The project will be implemented with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Under the Padma Bridge rail kink project, he said, a 168-km rail line will be constructed in two phases. The first phase will be an 82-km track linking Dhaka’s Gendaria to Faridpur’s Bhanga via Mawa while an 86-km track will connect Bhanga to Jessore via Narail in the 2nd phase.

A G2G (government to government) agreement has been signed with China, under which China Railways Engineering Company will start the first phase work very soon, the minister said.

Upon completion, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Narail districts will come under the railway coverage.

Besides, Gopalganj district will be brought under railway network as land acquisition for constructing a 41-km rail track on Kashiani-Gopalganj-Tungipara route is going on.

Meanwhile, Bagerhat district will get railway network as land acquisition for constructing rail track on Khulna-Mongla route is progressing well.

Kushtia-Meherpur rail track project is another addition which has already got Ecnec’s approval. Meherpur district will be brought under railway coverage on completion of the project.

According to Director General of Bangladesh Railways Md Amzad Hossain, the all these projects would be completed within the next 3-3.5 years.

He also mentioned that some more plans have been undertaken to construct new rail lines during the tenure of the current government.

According to him, the construction of rail track on Bhanga-Barisal and Barisal-Pyra Port are also in the pipeline, with their feasibility studies already underway.