PM optimistic about launching electric train [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

PM optimistic about launching electric train

Local June 26, 2016

Expressing her high hope of launching high-speed electric trains and underground trains in the country, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said a feasibility study is going on for underground trains.
‘Steps have been taken to introduce a high-speed express train on Dhaka-Chittagong-Dhaka route while a feasibility study is underway to introduce underground trains in the country,’ she said.
The prime minister said this while inaugurating a new inter-city train ‘Sonar Bangla Express’ on Dhaka-Chittagong route at Kamlapur railway station.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has undertaken massive programmes for the development of Bangladesh Railway under Vision 2021 and established a separate ministry to give special attention to it.
She reiterated her firm resolve to bring all the districts of the country, including Barisal, under railway network.
Hasina said today is a special day for the railways ministry as a new intercity train – ‘Sonar Bangla Express’ – has been introduced on Dhaka-Chittagong-Dhaka route while the existing ‘Silk City Train’ on Dhaka – Rajshahi route upgraded with new coaches.
The prime minister said the introduction of a new train and addition of new coaches will help ensure quick and comfortable journeys of passengers.
She mentioned that the Pakistani occupation forces destroyed a huge number of railway bridges and rail tracks during the Liberation War. But soon after the independence, the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s government restored railway communications repairing those bridges and rail tracks at the earliest.
The post-75 governments did not make any development of the railway sector, rather they closed many rail routes turning the railway as a losing concern, she added.
The prime minister said her government, after assuming office in 2009, so far approved 55 new projects involving over Tk 62,890 crore and 45 amended projects with Tk 42,601 crore.
So far, 98 new trains have been introduced while services of 26 trains improved, she said.
LGRD and cooperatives minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, housing and public works minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain, railways minister Mazibul Hoque, secretary of the railways ministry Firoz Salauddin and director general of Bangladesh Railway M Amjad Hossain also spoke on the occasion.
Civil aviation minister Rashed Khan Menon, mayors of Dhaka Annisul Haque and Sayeed Khokon, chief of Bangladesh Army Staff General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, Indian high commissioner in Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla were, among others, present.
The train services were introduced with the newly procured carriers from Indonesia and India. Bangladesh Railway procured 100 meter-gauge and 170 broad-gauge rail coaches with financial support from the Asian Development Bank and Indian Line of Credit.
‘Sonar Bangla Express’ will have only one stoppage at Airport Station in the capital, and will travel from Dhaka to the port city in five hours and 40 minutes. The first nonstop train ‘Subarna Express’ started operation on Dhaka-Chittagong route in 1998.
Meanwhile, prime minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated her call to the affluent section of people and business organisations to donate buses to educational institutions to solve the transportation problem of students.
‘If the well-off section of people comes forward, the demand of the schools and colleges that have no buses will be fulfilled. So, I urge the rich to donate buses to the educational institutions,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said this while handing over 10 buses to 10 educational institutions in a move to lessen the transportation problem of their students.
While talking about the selection of Proyas Specialised School for donation of buses, Sheikh Hasina said her government has special attention to the physically-challenged children to bring them back to normal life.
She thanked the Ifad Autos Ltd for the donation of buses to 10 educational institutions and hoped that other business organisations would be encouraged in this regard.
She handed over the keys of the buses to the principals of the educational institutions at a function held at her official residence Ganabhaban in the afternoon.
The educational institutions are: Rangpur Government College; Dinajpur Government College; Government Bangabandhu College, Gopalganj; Proyas Specialised School at Savar Cantonment, Savar; Netrakona Government College; Rangamati Government College; Government Bangla College, Dhaka; Kurigram Government College; Jessore Government MM College and Cox’s Bazar Government College.
IFAD Autos Limited, a sister concern of the IFAD Group Bangladesh, and India’s Ashok Leyland Company donated the buses in response to the prime minister’s recent call to the well-off section of people to donate school buses to educational institutions.
Earlier, chairman of IFAD Group Iftekhar Ahmed Tipu formally handed over a dummy bus key to the prime minister.
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, PM’s adviser HT Imam, chief of Army Staff General Abu Belal Mohammad Shafiul Huq, principal secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim, managing director of IFAD Group Tanveer Ahmed, managing director of IFAD Autos Limited Taskin Ahmed and director Tashfin Ahmed were, among others, present on the occasion.