Construction of the country’s first-ever elevated railway is underway to connect Dhaka with the southwestern district of Jashore via Padma Bridge, officials said.
Starting from the capital’s Jurain, the 23-kilometer long elevated rail line will reach Kuchiamora in Sirajdikhan upazila of Munshiganj, they added.
According to sources at the railway ministry, the elevated railway, to be installed on total of 418 spans, is being built as part of the 170-kilometer single-track rail line on Dhaka-Jashore route, which costs the government Tk 39,246 crore.
The government, however, may upgrade it to double-track rail line later. The contractor of Padma Multipurpose Bridge and Padma Bridge Rail Connection projects, China Railway Group Limited (CREC) recently visited to the project area of the elevated railway.
It is learned that the first span of the elevated railway is being installed at Palashpur in Munshiganj. “The site of the elevated railway is located in the low-lying area and there are several bridges on the route. This is why the spans would be comparatively taller,” a project official said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Chinese company also completed the geological survey and alignment of the Padma Bridge Railway Connecting Project.
Embankment design work has progressed by 89.5 percent, test pile work by 92.85 percent, pile design by 37.3 percent, culvert design by 63.6 percent, embankment construction by 25.2 percent, test pile construction work by 60.5, and pile work has seen 15.7 percent progress.
Nearly 6 percent economic progress has been completed in this project so far.
The project official, however, said “As the soil of the area is soft, cost of constructing an elevated rail line would cost less than that of a normal rail line.”
The Padma Bridge is expected to open for vehicular movement in June 2020 with implementation of the mega project is going on in full swing as over 60 percent of the 6.15-km long structure is visible now.
Authorities also aim to open the Padma rail connection on the opening day of the bridge.
