Jamuna Railway Bridge opens for passenger trains, enhancing connectivity

Passenger train services started on the Jamuna Railway Bridge on today, after a long wait.

The Silk City train, which departed from Rajshahi, arrived at the Sirajganj end of the bridge at 11:20am and reached the Tangail end at 11:30am.

Additionally, the Burimari Express left the Tangail end at 11:38am.

Passengers were thrilled to be part of this historic moment.

Ibrahimabad Railway Station Master Shahin Mia said although trains are capable of running at 120 kilometres per hour on the bridge, they are currently operating at 50kmph following directives from higher authorities.

If permitted, the speed could be increased further, he added.

Built with joint funding from the Japanese and Bangladesh governments, under the supervision of both local and foreign engineers, the Jamuna Railway Bridge, standing over the Jamuna River, is the longest of its kind in the country, according to relevant authorities.

This bridge is expected to save time on train routes and accelerate business activities as well.

This new railway bridge is expected to mark a significant milestone in improving rail connectivity between northern Bangladesh and Dhaka.

Notably, on November 29, 2020, then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina virtually laid the foundation stone for the construction of the bridge.

In March 2021, piling work for the railway bridge pillars began.

Initially, the cost of the project was estimated at Tk9,734.07 crore, but it was later revised to Tk16,780.96 crore.

Of this amount, 27.60% of the funding came from domestic sources, while 72.40% was a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).