Railway to get 200 coaches at Tk 579cr

Bangladesh Railway yesterday entered into an agreement with an Indonesian company to buy 200 metre-gauge coaches at a cost of Tk 579.38 crore.

Md Shamsuzzaman, additional director general (rolling stock) at Bangladesh Railway, and R Agus H Purnomo, president director of PT Industri Kereta Api (Persero), Indonesia, signed the deal at the Railway Bhaban in the capital.

The Bangladesh government and the Asian Development Bank will fund the procurement. The delivery of the coaches will start within 20 months and will be completed within 33 months.

The coaches with stainless steel bodies, roof-mounted air conditioning systems and automatic air brake systems will create a positive impact on the mass transport system, Bangladesh Railway officials said.

At present, Bangladesh Railway has 1,193 metre-gauge coaches. Of them, 567 have crossed the 35 year economic life, while 166 coaches are 31-35 years old.

As the demand for rail travel is increasing significantly, additional coaches are needed, the officials said.

Railways Minister Mazibul Hoque said the loan agreement with a China company to implement the Padma bridge rail link project will be signed within a month.

Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Rina P Soemarno and Director General of Bangladesh Railway Amzad Hossain also spoke.