With 80% progress, country’s first tourist rail speeding to its deadline

The much-awaited tourist rail line from Chattogram to Cox's Bazar – 65km of which is now visible – is expected to open far before the deadline, June 2024.

"As of January last, the overall implementation of the megaproject is 80%. The construction of 65km out of 100km rail line, and two stations have so far been done. Five stations are at the finishing stage and the other two are under construction," said Mofizur Rahman, director of the rail project.

"We are now waiting for manpower recruitment," he told The Business Standard and noted that the public administration ministry received a demand letter in the middle of last year for recruiting 700 people to operate the train service.

Earlier, Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujon said they are expecting to complete the project between June and July of this year – some one year ahead of the deadline. "If the work is not completed in June for any reason, it may take one or two more months. Even then, we will be able to travel to Cox's Bazar by train within this year," he told the news agency UNB.

With the 100km rail line, Cox's Bazar will add to the country's rail network as the 45th district. Initially, 10 trains will move from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar and 10 others from Chattogram to Cox's Bazar using the dual gauge track, according to project documents.

Once opened, the trains will be able to carry some 1 lakh people every day. Travel time from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar will be 7.5 hours and Chattogram to Cox's Bazar 2.5 hours and per person will cost Tk700-1500 and Tk100-400 respectively.

A special refrigerated wagon service will also be there for transporting fish, dried fish, salts and other goods from Cox's Bazar to other parts of the country.

The rail line is also expected to open a new horizon of economic development in Southeastern Bangladesh, by facilitating movement to different upazilas of Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.

"The rail communication will boost the trade of fish, dried fish, vegetables, salt and many more items of the region. The stations located at different upazilas will boost the economy there," Abu Morshed Chowdhury, president of the Cox's Bazar Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told TBS.

Although the rail project got approved in 2010, the construction work commenced in 2018. The revised estimated cost for the project is around Tk18,035 crore with Tk12,000 crore coming from the Asian Development Bank and the rest from the government. 

Apart from the 100km rail line, a total of 9 stations have been built at Cox's Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Islamabad, Dulahazra, Chakaria, Harbang, Lohagara, Satkania, and Dohazari under the project. Of the stations, the one in Cox's Bazar Sadar upazila is iconic and an attraction of the project. 

Iconic station in Cox's Bazar visible

The seashell-shaped train station on 29 acres of land at the Jilong Union of Cox's Bazar is now visible. Workers are currently fitting glasses, setting fire-fighting and electric equipment. Project officials said almost 85% work of the station has been completed so far.

The six-storey air-conditioned facility has been built at Tk215 crore – first of its kind in Asia. A total of 250 engineers, including 110 from China, Italy, Belgium, England and other foreign countries, worked for the station.

Once completed, it will also have a wide range of facilities for tourists, including car park, luggage lockers, VIP drop area, postal office, tourism information booth, bank booth, foreign currency exchange service, supermarket, pharmacy, restaurant and residential hotel.