The newly constructed double line dual gauge railway bridge over the Jamuna River is expected to open in second week of January, 2025.
The 4.8 km long double line dual gauge bridge, which would be the largest dedicated rail bridge of the country, was constructed with two packages including WD-1 and WD-2 with the involvement of Tk 16,780 crore, Project Director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman.
The total cost of the bridge has been estimated of Tk 16,780.95 crore, of which Tk 13,000 crore has been allocated for construction work and over Tk 3,000 crore for meeting other cost. But they have saved Tk 50 crore against construction of a component, Rahman said.
According to the project details, the main construction work was done with the financial support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). JICA has given around Tk 12,000 crore, while the rest of the money came from the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) fund.
Two Japanese joint-venture firms have been carrying out the major works of the project taken in 2016, he said. The dual-gauge double-track bridge, having gas pipeline facility, is being built some 3,00 metres upstream of the Bangabandhu Bridge, having a single rail line.
In December 2016, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council passed the bridge project at a cost of Tk 9,734 crore and the project was scheduled to be completed by December 2023.
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