After a long wait, the official inauguration of the railway bridge over the Jamuna River has been completed today (March 18).
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Director General of Bangladesh Railway, Md. Afzal Hossain, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, Fahimul Islam. The event was also attended by the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Mr. Seiichi Otsuka, and the South Asia Regional Director of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Ito Teruyuki.
Officials say that with the opening of this bridge, new opportunities for communication, trade, and economic development will arise. In particular, railway connectivity between the northern, southern, and western regions of the country with Dhaka will become much easier. This marks another step forward in Bangladesh's promising journey of progress.
A total of 30 intercity trains and 2 commuter trains will run daily over this bridge.
On February 12, the first-ever passenger train, the Silk City Express from Rajshahi, crossed the Jamuna Railway Bridge and reached Dhaka. During the trial run, the train crossed the bridge at a speed of 120 km/h, taking approximately 3.5 minutes to complete the crossing.
The construction of the bridge cost approximately BDT 16,780.96 crore, with 72.4% of the financing provided as a loan by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the remaining funds contributed by the government. The bridge was built jointly by Japan's OTG and IHI corporations.
The foundation stone for the construction of the bridge was laid on November 29, 2020.
