Bangladesh's Ministry of Railways has initiated a plan to build an 81-kilometre fully elevated railway from Shyampur in Dhaka to Cumilla, a project officials say would cut the Dhaka–Chattogram rail journey by 80 kilometres and up to two hours.
Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman disclosed the details at the government's regular press briefing at the Secretariat on Tuesday, according to Prothom Alo English. The information was also provided to journalists in a written statement.
The proposed line — known as a cord line or alternative route — carries a preliminary estimated cost of Tk 839.01 billion, making it one of the most expensive rail projects ever proposed in the country. Whether it proceeds in its fully elevated form remains undecided: Zahed Ur Rahman said the government's highest level would make the final call on the design, Prothom Alo English reported.
What the Dhaka Cumilla elevated railway would involve
The new line would run from Shyampur, on the southern edge of the capital, to Cumilla, creating a more direct path toward Chattogram than the existing route. Once implemented, it would shorten the Dhaka–Chattogram rail distance by 80 kilometres and reduce travel time by one and a half to two hours.
Officials briefing journalists on the technical aspects said the line would be suitable for electric train operations in the future, according to Prothom Alo English. The specifications include:
- A double-track broad-gauge railway
- An axle load capacity of 25 tonnes
- A design speed of up to 160 kilometres per hour
- A maximum operating speed of 140 kilometres per hour
The Ministry of Railways initially proposed an elevated railway, with the proposal presented to the ministry on 5 October.
Why a fully elevated line is on the table
The case for building the entire route on elevated structures rests largely on land. Zahed Ur Rahman said a fully elevated line would save around 322 acres of land compared with a conventional build, Prothom Alo English reported.
The savings come at a price, but a relatively modest one against the total budget. Building the railway with a combination of embankments and elevated structures would cost approximately Tk 735.77 billion. Opting for a fully elevated line would add around Tk 10.32 billion to the cost, the adviser said.
That comparison is now the central question before the government: whether the land saved and the operational benefits of an uninterrupted elevated corridor justify the higher upfront figure, and whether the fully elevated design survives the final approval process.
How long construction would take
Construction would take four years after land acquisition is completed, according to the details shared at Tuesday's briefing. No start date for land acquisition has been announced.
That sequencing matters. With the route running through densely settled areas south of Dhaka and across the floodplains toward Cumilla, acquisition is likely to be a significant undertaking in itself — one reason the elevated option, with its smaller land footprint, has found favour within the ministry.
What still has to be decided
For now, the project exists as a proposal with a price tag. The government's highest level must still decide whether the line will be fully elevated or built as a cheaper embankment-elevated mix, Prothom Alo English reported.
Beyond the design question, the government has not said how the Tk 839.01 billion would be financed, when land acquisition would begin, or when final approval might come. Until those decisions are taken, the four-year construction clock cannot start.
The proposal's presentation to the ministry on 5 October and its public disclosure nine days later suggest the plan is moving quickly through the early stages. But with financing unaddressed and the design unresolved, the gap between announcement and approval remains the project's biggest unknown.