Railways get Tk 11,944cr in budget

The government has allocated Tk 11,944 crore for Ministry of Railways, which is Tk 2,620 crore less than the current fiscal year (2024-25).

For the fiscal year 2025-26, a budget of Tk 7,89,999 crore has been proposed and presented to the nation by Interim Government’s Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

On Monday (June 2), in a budget speech broadcasted on Bangladesh Television, the Finance Adviser made this proposal.

The revised budget for Ministry of Railways for the current 2024-25 fiscal year was Tk 14,564 crore.

Several significant activities, projects and programs will be implemented in the 2025–26 fiscal year, including the construction of the Padma Bridge rail link and the Jamuna Railway Bridge; the development of a single-line dual gauge track from Dohazari via Ramu to Cox's Bazar and from Ramu to Ghumdhum near Myanmar border; and the procurement of 200 broad-gauge passenger coaches for Bangladesh Railway.

Other initiatives include the construction of a broad-gauge railway line from Madhukhali via Kamarkhali to Magura town, preparatory technical assistance projects aimed at improving the railway communication system, and the construction of a dual-gauge double line from Joydebpur to Ishwardi. 

Additionally, the signaling and interlocking systems at stations in Ishwardi-Parbatipur section of Bangladesh Railway’s western region will be replaced and modernized. The Chattogram-Dohazari meter-gauge railway will also be converted into a dual-gauge line, along with the construction of Dhirashram Inland Container Depot (ICD), which includes land acquisition and the development of the Pubail-Dhirashram rail link.

SH