Railways in two minds on developing infrastructure now for future electric train

Although more than half of the project period has already elapsed, railways authorities could not take decision yet whether they would develop some infrastructure for the installation of electric traction under the ongoing Padma Bridge Rail Link Project (PBRLP).

It would cost between Tk 335.72 to Tk 519.36 crore (depending on track speed) for concurrent implementation work now. But it would take more than double if it is done later, the Chinese contractor of project said.

In this given situation, railway authorities yesterday decided to seek opinion from government high-ups, as the works will warrant revision of the project cost, officials said.

The decision was taken when officials of China Railway Group Ltd (CREC), the contractor of the fast-track project, gave a presentation over different perspectives of electric traction at Rail Bhaban yesterday, they said.

Presided over by Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, the meeting was attended by high officials of his ministry and Bangladesh Railway (BR).

BR is implementing the PBRLP to connect the capital and Jashore with a 169km rail line via the under-construction Padma Bridge.

The Tk 39,246-crore project is being implemented between January 2016 and June 2024. The physical work of project began in July 2018, and has seen 41.5 percent progress till April this year.

Currently, BR operates diesel-powered trains and it would need to install electric traction to run electricity-powered trains, which is considered cost-effective and environment-friendly. 

In December 2019, BR told CREC that the government intends to run electric trains on the Dhaka-Padma bridge-Jashore line and the contractor carried out the study, railways sources said.

At a technical workshop was held last year over the issue, the Chinese contractor advised installing the facilities while the rail link construction is ongoing, and recommended that a decision be made soon to avoid additional cost and safety risks.

At that time, the project authority asked the contractor do some more work on it and present it before authority.

Yesterday, CREC officials, through a PowerPoint presentation, said total investment for electrification, with partial speed upgrading (from 120km per hour from Bhanga to Jasshore) would cost Tk 4,555.48 crore ($53,733 million).

They said it would cost Tk 519.36 crore ($61.26 million) if some infrastructure of electric traction is built along with the project work. The rest amount would be taken for separate implementation work.

If the synchronous implementation works are not carried out now, an additional investment of Tk 1,106.36 crore ($130.5 million) will be required, they said.

If the authority installs electric traction without speed upgrading, it would cost Tk 4,122.25 crore ($486.23 million) of which synchronous implementation of some works will cost Tk 3,357.28 crore ($39.6 million), they said.

The contractor asked the railways authorities to make a decision as early as possible.

Contacted, Project Director Golam Fakhruddin Ahmed Chowdhury said the meeting has decided that they would not upgrade speed from 120km per hour to 160km per hour.

BR's Director General Dhirendra Nath Mazumder said the contractor has given an estimate for the electrification works and they will keep space and other option for the work.

"But, we will do some work along with the ongoing project if the government gives us necessary allocation," he told The Daily Star after the meeting.

Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said they could not decide yet whether they would do some works for electric traction now as they have to increase project costs.

"We will take decision following discussion over the matter," he told this correspondent yesterday.