Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Dhaka Metropolis will witness a different rail communication by 2030 to alleviate traffic congestion. “It will save people’s communication, travel, and our oil costs—a lot,” he said. Dhaka city will also be traffic free. That is how we are implementing our plans. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the newly constructed 69.20 km railway under three projects of Bangladesh Railways on Thursday afternoon. He inaugurated simultaneous train movement in Rooppur (Ishwardi), Shasidal (Comilla), and Joydevpur (Gazipur) through video conference from Gana Bhavan. Sheikh Hasina said, “We have already inaugurated the metro rail, which will later be extended from Uttara to Kamalapur railway station. In the case of the metro rail, we are also going underground. Meanwhile, the construction work of the subway under MRT Line-1 has also been auspiciously inaugurated. The Prime Minister expressed the hope that a new horizon will begin in the domestic and international rail communication system through the implementation of all the projects of the railway sector. He thinks that this will bring about a revolutionary change in the railway service. The Prime Minister inaugurated the 32 km double-line railway from Kasba in Brahmanbaria to Mandbagh and Shasidal in Comilla to Rajapur on the occasion. At the same time, under the construction project of the third and fourth dual gauge line in the Dhaka-Tongi section and dual gauge line in the Tongi-Joidebpur section, 11 km double line train movement in Tongi-Joidebpur section and Ruppur railway station of Ishwardi, Pabna inaugurated the newly constructed and renovated 26.50 km railway line. The Chief Minister said that the Awami League government is opening the rail links which were closed during the India-Pakistan war in 1965. Sheikh Hasina said that the construction of the project entitled ‘3rd and 4th Dual Gauge Line in Dhaka-Tongi Section and Dual Gauge Double Line Construction in Tongi-Joidebpur Section (DTJDLP)’ under the Ministry of Railways with the financing of Bangladesh Government and Indian Line of Credit (LOC-1) is progressing. going on Under this project, the construction of a double line on the 11.9 km route in the Tongi-Joidebpur section has been completed. There is no need to stand for crossing at Dhirashram station if the train is run on a double line in this section. As a result, the travel time of all trains will be saved and the risk of accidents will be reduced. Railway Minister Md. Railway Secretary Md. Nurul Islam presided over the event. Humayun Kabir gave the welcome speech. Acting High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vinay George also spoke. A documentary on three railway projects was screened on the occasion. The Prime Minister said that during the liberation war, the Pakistani invading forces destroyed 278 railway bridges and 270 road bridges. Mines were laid in two ports. In the newly independent country, Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujib in his visionary decisions renovated and rebuilt the damaged railway facilities. He took steps to transform railways into mass transport by expanding the railways. He started the journey with empty hands and gave this country the status of the least developed country. When war-torn Bangladesh started on the path of socio-economic development, the anti-independence group of assassins brutally killed the father of the nation and his family. President of Awami League said, ‘After that, we saw various games going on with the railway. After the assassination of the Father of the Nation on August 15, 1975, the military dictators who illegally seized power in violation of the constitution did not want any good or progress in this country, which is why the common people tried to destroy all the means of transportation one by one. Even if the railways are not profitable, attempts are made to close the railways. He said that many railway lines were also closed, noting that the railway personnel was sent away with a golden handshake. This was done when Khaleda Zia was the Prime Minister during the last BNP-Jamaat coalition government. Pointing out that the Awami League government is implementing several mega projects to increase and expand the country’s internal and regional rail connectivity, the Prime Minister said that through the Padma Bridge, Rupdia in Jessore and Dhaka will be connected. The construction of the railway up to Singia is progressing rapidly. Two priority projects are being fast-tracked to establish rail connectivity with the tourist city of Cox’s Bazar.
