Railways to add 200 Indian broad gauge coaches by 2027: Minister
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Railways Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has told Parliament that the supply of 200 broad gauge coaches from India is expected to start within this year, which would be added to the Bangladesh Railway fleet by December 2027.
“Under Bangladesh Railway, the supply of 200 broad gauge coaches from India is supposed to begin this year with funding from the European Investment Bank,“ he said.
The minister said, “Under the project, it is expected that all 200 coaches will be added to the Bangladesh Railway fleet between June 2026 and December 2027.”
Mr Alam disclosed this while responding to a tabled question from opposition (Jamaat) lawmaker Md Elias Molla (Faridpur-1) in the House on Thursday.
He said once the coaches are received, Bangladesh Railway will take the initiative to determine routes for operating new trains.
Replying to another query from treasury bench lawmaker Md Mosharraf Hossain (Bogura-4), the minister said there is now a total of 3,428.09 kilometres of railway tracks across the country.
Of these, 1,591.43 kilometres are metre gauge, 1,066.60 kilometres are broad gauge, and 770.06 kilometres are dual gauge, he said.
He also said activities continue to expand the railway network through the installation of new broad-gauge and dual-gauge lines under various projects based on feasibility and demand.
In response to a question from ruling party lawmaker Mohammad Shamim Kaiser (Gaibandha-4), the railways minister said that currently, 15 intercity trains are operating between Dhaka and the northern districts.
Once the new coaches from India begin arriving, it will be possible to increase the number of intercity trains on some of these routes, he said.
To ensure comfortable train journeys for passengers and to boost railway revenue through freight transport, the government is working on approving projects to procure 260 broad-gauge passenger carriages, 46 broad-gauge locomotives, and 50 metre-gauge locomotives in the near future, said the minister.