PM inaugurates Chattogram-Cox's Bazar rail line

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated Chattogram-Cox's Bazar rail line today.

Thanking everyone involved with the project, the PM inaugurated the rail line at 12:58pm.

"I am so delighted today as Cox's Bazar has come under railway network from now," the prime minister said.

"I promised it and I am happy that I could fulfil it," the premier added.

She also urged all to take proper care of the facilities.

Earlier, the PM joined the inauguration programme at the Cox's Bazar iconic railway station at 11:35am. The programme started at 11:40am.

The government in 2010 had taken up the project to lay metre-gauge track from Dohazari of Chattogram to Ghundum of Bandarban spending Tk 1,852.35 crore.

But it later changed its plan and decided to build the dual-gauge line to Cox's Bazar town. As a result, the cost shot up to Tk 18,034.47 crore.

The government backed out on constructing the rail line to Ghundum border because Myanmar did not take any step to build a rail line to its border, source said.

The 102km Dohazari-Cox's Bazar rail line is part of the Trans-Asian Railway Network. There are nine new stations on the route.

Although the project, funded by the Asian Development Bank, was supposed to be completed within June 2013, laying of tracks began in March 2018.

Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujon yesterday said train services on the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar route would begin on December 1 with an inter-city train.