The rail link between Jashore and Dhaka via the Padma Bridge will be completed by June next year, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said yesterday.

The minister also reiterated that the Dhaka to Bhanga section of the rail line will open in September this year.

"When it will be operational, the rail link will cut the travelling time between Dhaka and Jashore by half, giving a major boost to railway communication in the country," said the minister.

Sujan revealed the information while formally inaugurating the installation of railway track on the Bhanga-Jashore section at Faridpur's Bhanga.

Bangladesh Railway (BR) is implementing the Tk 39,246.80 crore project to build a broad-gauge rail line from Dhaka to Jashore via the Padma Bridge.

The fast-track project is being implemented in three phases -- Dhaka to Mawa, Mawa to Bhanga, and Bhanga to Jashore.

On April 4 this year, BR ran the first train on the newly constructed Bhanga-Mawa rail line through the Padma Bridge, and on that day, Sujan announced that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga section in September this year.

Yesterday, the minister hoped that the remaining works on the Dhaka-Bhanga section will be completed by the first week of August, if not early.

Project officials said the installation of rail track on the 82km-long Dhaka-Bhanga section has been completed, except for the eight km portion, which is going to be built on viaducts.

They hoped that work on that 8km would be completed within August.

However, all nine new stations in this section may not be ready by September as the installation of the signalling system may not be completed by then.

In the first phase, three new stations -- Nimtali, Mawa, and  Padma (Janjira) will be opened, an official said wishing not to be named. The old Bhanga station will be also made operational.

Even before yesterday's inauguration, authorities had installed 2 km track on the Bhanga-Jashore section.

Officials said construction of most of the bridges on this section including the Modhumoti Bridge -- a 1.22km long bridge over Modhumoti river in Narail -- has been completed.

This correspondent, as part of the minister's entourage, visited the embankment built for the installation of rail track from Bhanga to Narail and saw that the segment was ready for laying tracks.

Echoing the minister, an official said the rail line installation works of Dhaka- Jashore would be completed by June next year, but like the Dhaka-Bhanga section, the installation of the signalling system may not be completed by the deadline.

Project Director Azfal Hossain and his team members, consultants, and officials from contractor firms were present at the programme.

The government and China are jointly funding the project and a Chinese company is working as the contractor for the project.