Project to buy tourist coaches stuck in row over feasibility study

The much-awaited project to buy tourist coaches taken up four years ago for under construction Dhaka-Cox's Bazar rail route is still in limbo, as the project is stuck in a row over a feasibility study.

The project was taken up by Bangladesh Railway (BR) in 2019 to attract tourists, increase revenue earning both in BR and the tourism sector, and brighten the image of the railways at large, according to a Preliminary Development Project Proposal (PDDP) of BR.

Tabassum Binte Islam, joint director general (mechanical) of BR, said after completing their feasibility study, they had prepared a PDDP based on it and sent it to the Planning Commission in September 2021.

However, the Planning Commission did not accept their prepared PDDP and has directed them to resubmit a new one after conducting a feasibility study by a third-party, she said.

SM Selim Bahar, chief planning officer of the BR, said as the estimated cost of the project is more than Tk 25 crore, the railways have to formulate a new PDPP through a feasibility study by a third-party as per the Planning Commission's directive.

"We have already appointed a consultancy firm for conducting a feasibility study. The firm already started their work," Tabassum added.

According to the BR, the Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC), an organisation under the Economic Relations Department (ERD) under the Ministry of Finance, is conducting the study.

Under the previous PDDP, an estimated cost of USD 57.28 million, 54 deluxe tourist coaches, including six meter-gauge tourist coaches (city), 13 air-conditioned sleeping cars, 22 air-conditioned chair cars, seven power cars along with air-conditioned dining cars and guard breaks are listed for procurement. The government will provide USD 14.84 million for the project, while the rest of USD 42.44 million will come as foreign assistance.

Meanwhile, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan announced last month that the under-construction 100-km rail line, Dohazari to Cox's Bazar, would be opened by this year.

Mofizur Rahman, director of the project, said the progress of the project is 80 percent.

After the inauguration of the line, four trains, including a tourist train, will run every day to and from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar via Chattogram initially along with the regular service with a minimum number of stoppages, according to BR sources.

The rail line project, at a cost of Tk 18,034 crore, is being installed in two phases.

On April 3, 2011, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone for the construction of the rail line between Dohazari-Cox's Bazar.

The project's new deadline is June 2024.