Railway inks deal with Chinese firm to procure 580 metre gauge wagons
The wagons will be delivered within 30 months of signing the contract
Bangladesh Railway has signed a contract involving Tk318.63 crore with a Chinese company to procure 580 metre gauge wagons to expand its capacity for carrying goods.
The railway authority signed the contract with CRRC Shandong Co Ltd on Tuesday under Bangladesh Railway's Rolling Stock Operation Improvement Project.
Project Director Md Mizanur Rahman and CRRC Shandong Vice-President Dai Xien signed the contract on behalf of their respective organisations.
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CRRC Shandong Co Ltd is obliged to deliver the wagons within 18 to 30 months from the day of signing the contract, said Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujon while speaking at the event at Rail Bhaban.
Bangladesh Railway is purchasing meter gauge wagons at a time when it has been implementing a master plan to upgrade its tracks from metre gauge to broad gauge to provide better services.
In response to a question in this regard, Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujon said these wagons are being procured to provide freight services on the Dhaka-Chattogram route and the metre gauge tracks in the country's Eastern region.
"We aim to gradually upgrade our tracks from metre gauge to broad gauge, but it will take 10 to 15 more years," he said.
Regarding yesterday's contract, he said, "Under this project, Bangladesh Railway's old wagons will be replaced and the freight trains' capacities will be enhanced."
Among the 580 wagons, there are 386 Meter Gauge Bogie covered wagons, 174 Metre Gauge Bogie Open Wagons and 20 Metre Gauge Bogie Brake Vans.
The railway minister said another 420 broad gauge wagons will be procured from Hindusthan Engineering and Industries Ltd of India under the project's fifth package.
Md Salim Reza, secretary at the Ministry of Railway, said the estimated cost of the five packages of the Rolling Stock Operation Improvement Project is around Tk3,607 crore.
With the latest agreement, contracts regarding four packages under the project have been signed.
The Asian Development Bank is financing 79% of the cost of the project while the government is financing the remaining 21%.
Among others, Dhirendra Nath Mazumder, director general of Bangladesh Railway, spoke at the programme.
