Prime Minister likely to open rail service through Padma Bridge on October 10

Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan told journalists on Sunday that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate the Dhaka-Bhanga rail service through the Padma Bridge on October 10.

The minister said Sheikh Hasina has given her schedule to open the service on that day. Prior to that, the Bangladesh Railway will conduct a trial run for a passenger train on September 7. Bangladesh Railway is building a 170km stretch of railway tracks from Dhaka to Jashore under the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project.

The costs of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project were estimated at Tk 34,988.86 crore during its approval in 2016. The deadline for completion of the project was set until December 2022. In April 2019, the project cost was increased by Tk 4,269.27 crore to Tk 39,258.13 crore. The deadline was also extended till December 2024.