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The dedicated dual-gauge double-lane railway bridge over the Jamuna will be formally inaugurated on March 18, thereby launching the operation of all modes of train between Dhaka and the western zone.
On February 12, the Bangladesh Railway (BR) launched the 4.8-kilometre bridge by operating commercial trains through its single track.
Officials said an inaugural train carrying around 400 guests from Kamalapur station will run through the bridge on March 18.
Later, an inaugural ceremony will be held on the eastern side of the bridge at Ibrahimabad railway station at 10:00 am.
Railway secretary Mohammad Fahimul Islam will inaugurate the bridge as the chief guest.
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi and the director general, South Asia Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will be present as special guests.
The BR started construction of the bridge over the river in August 2020 and completed the entire work in December 2024 at a cost of Tk 167.80 billion.
The JICA provided around Tk 120 billion for the construction of the bridge.
Earlier, the BR had been operating more than 22 trains through the rail-cum-road bridge over the same river at a speed of only 20 km per hour.
The dual-gauge double-track rail bridge with a gas pipeline facility, which is some 300 metres upstream of the rail-cum-road bridge, will have the capacity to operate 88 trains daily.
Although the dedicated rail bridge will reduce crossing time significantly, reaping full benefits of the bridge will take several more years as both sides of the bridge are yet to be developed with dual-gauge double-line tracks. The new bridge will have the capacity to operate 88 trains daily. However, the old bridge with a dual-gauge single line could operate a maximum of 22 trains.
In December 2016, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council passed the bridge project at a cost of Tk 97.34 billion and the project was scheduled for completion by December 2023.
Two Japanese joint-venture firms have been carrying out the main work of the project.