📋 Tender Overview
Project Name
South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation: Chattogram-Dohazari Railway Project
Project Number
57296-002
Country / Economy
Bangladesh
Project Status
Proposed
Project Type / Modality of Assistance
Loan
Source of Funding / Amount
Loan: South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation: Chattogram-Dohazari Railway Project
Ordinary capital resources US$ 508.00 million
Concessional ordinary capital resources lending US$ 180.00 million
Sector / Subsector
Transport / Rail transport (non-urban)
Gender
Effective gender mainstreaming
Description
The project will upgrade the 41 km existing track from Chattogram to Dohazari and build a new bypass line of 2.5 km. The new bypass will allow direct operation from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar without stopping at the Chattogram station. The upgrade will include heighten the elevation of rail track, strengthen the drainage system, computerize the blocking signaling system, and dual-gauging of the track. This will enable a more resilient, reliable and efficient rail operation. In addition, 30 locomotives will also be procured.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been supporting the BR to strengthen its railway network and locomotives. ADB is currently financing projects with dual-gauge tracks, i.e., South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Railway Connectivity: Akhaura-Laksam Double Track Project and SASEC Chittagong-Cox's Bazar Railway Project. The Chittagong-Cox's Bazar Railway Project consists of the construction of a new 102 km single track dual-gauge track from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar and rehabilitation of the existing 47 km track from Chattogram (formerly Chittagong) to Dohazari. The existing track from Chattogram to Dohazari has deteriorated. Thus, operational speed restrictions of 20 km/h, 30 km/h, and 50 km/h are imposed per sub-section, while the design speed is 100 km/h. The rehabilitation and upgrade of the section is urgently required to maximize the benefit of the newly built Dohazari-Cox's Bazar section. Under the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar Railway project, ADB is financing the 102 km of new construction section, and the government was supposed to finance the rehabilitation of 47 km section. However, due to BR's decision to upgrade instead of rehabilitating the section in the same level with the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar and the stringent budget restrictions of the government, the Government of Bangladesh requested the upgrade of the section together with additional 5 km upgrade of Parhatali to Chattogram section and 2.5 km of new construction of bypass line between Parhatali to Jhautala stations to ADB and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), i.e. upgrade of 41 km following existing alignment and 2.5 km of new construction to ADB and 11 km construction of new alignment including a bridge crossing Kaunapli river to KEXIM
Impact
A strategic railway modernization and upgrading process would be institutionalized
