Oyster-shaped railway station, greeneries stunningly attractive

The newly-built oyster-shaped railway station of Cox's Bazar and the picturesque green natural setting on both sides of Chattogram-Dohazari-Cox's Bazar-Gumdhum (CDCG) rail line give a stupendously attractive view.

The iconic railway station and the rail line await inauguration now after completion of their construction work under the same project.

Trial run of train on the Ctg-Dohazari-Cox's Bazar route will begin on October 15 next.

Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the CDCG rail line and also the oyster-shaped railway station of Cox's Bazar on October 28.

However, Project Director of the CDCG train route project Mohammad Mofizur Rahman said, "Over 90 per cent construction work of the project has been completed, and the remaining work will be finished within next six months after opening of the route in the current month (October)."

He also said the oyster-shaped structure of Cox's Bazar railway station, whose construction work has nearly been completed, will also captivate the visitors.

The works of setting doors, placing tiles, installing sanitary and electricity lines and air-conditioning equipment of the facility have been completed.

The rest finishing work including erecting a fountain will be done after functioning of the station starts.

Sources said the six-storey Cox's Bazar railway station building spans 187,037 square feet, covering 29 acres of land and it will house an upend residential hotel, shopping malls, restaurants, childcare centres, and luggage storage facilities.

A railway residential area has been built next to the station.

Apart from those, the station will have facilities like canteen, lockers and car parking.

Tourists can leave their luggage in the station lockers and spend the day on the beach sightseeing.

Around 4,000 people can travell through this station a day. The oyster-shaped railway station stands as the biggest attraction of the 100-kilometre-long newly-constructed rail line. General Manager of Bangladesh Railway (BR) (Easteren Zone) Md Jahangir Hossain said, "We want to start operation of the CDCG rail line as early as possible. We are preparing to start the trial run of train in the current month with the imported Korean coaches."

According to project officials, a total of 128km single line and dual gauge rail line has been constructed between Dohazari and Cox's Bazar.

There are 39 major bridges and 242 culverts in this rail line.

Besides, underpasses and overpasses have been built for the movement of elephants.

Sources said the project, one of the mega schemes of the BR and categorised as one of the fast-track projects of the government, was scheduled to be completed by June 2022.

But, the implementing authorities could not end the construction work within the previously scheduled time due to coronavirus outbreak and other reasons.

As the authorities failed to meet the deadline, they appealed to the ministry concerned to extend the timeline by two more years till July 2024 to complete the rest of the work.

However, work of the project is now continuing in full swing. The authorities have completed the project before the extended schedule.

Officials said the 128-km route will have nine railway stations at Satkania, Lohagora, Chakaria, Dulahazra, Eidgao, Ramu, Cox's Bazar Sadar, Ukhiya, and Gumdum. These stations have a hundred per cent computer-based interlocking signal system and fully digitalised telecommunications network.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation of the project in April 2011.