The long-awaited train operations from Dhaka to Jashore via the Padma Bridge is not going to be launched tomorrow as the authorities could not complete necessary preparations.

Two railway officials said the launching is unlikely within a week.

Earlier, railway authorities hoped to launch the commercial operation of trains on the route from December 2. The route will cut travel time by a half.

"That is not going to happen tomorrow," Project Director Afzal Hossain told The Daily Star tonight.

"We could not complete all preparations. Schedule for the routes could not be finalised," he said.

There is an issue regarding running staffs—who operates trains—which is also a reason behind the delay," he said adding, "The launching is not going to take place this week."

Another BR official said they could not even finalise some important issues like which trains would be operated via the new route and what would be fate of the existing routes.

"This is the major reason behind the delay," he said, seeking anonymity.

He said the staffers have decided to not to work more than eight hours. So, the authority wants to settle the issue before launching trains on this new route, he said.

Bangladesh Railway (BR) is constructing the 169-km broad-gauge single-line from Dhaka to Jashore via Padma Bridge at a cost of Tk 39,247 crore.

The project named Padma Bridge Rail Link Project is the biggest project for BR in terms of cost, over half of which is being provided by China as a loan.

The original deadline for the project was June 2022 and the latest deadline was June this year.

The Dhaka-Bhanga section of the line was opened in October last year and five trains are being operated through this section. The project tenure has already been extended up to June 2025.

BR is now preparing its next timetable (No-54) -- a book containing detailed schedules and timing of all trains -- and the timetable will have timing of some new trains to be launched on the south-western routes.

Talking to The Daily Star on October 29, BR's Director General Sardar Shahadat Ali said they were preparing the next timetable keeping the new Dhaka-Jashore line in mind.

"We are planning to increase trains on the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka Jashore routes," he told The Daily Star on that day.

BR sources said they were planning to launch a new train on Dhaka-Khulna route for an up-and-down trip daily.

The 169-km line from Dhaka to Jashore will cut short the travel time by a half. It takes around eight hours to reach Khulna while it would take around four hours after the launching of the line, officials said.

It would take around three and a half hours to reach Jashore which currently takes more than seven hours, they said.