$1.5b ADB grant for dual-gauge railways in southeast region

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide USD1.5 billion to Bangladesh to build a dual-gauge railway line to boost trade and tourism in the southernmost parts of the country, a press statement said yesterday.
The new railway, part of the Trans-Asia Railway network, will also improve access to Myanmar and beyond.
The Trans-Asia Railway, an initiative led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, aims to provide seamless rail links between Asia and Europe to better connect people and markets.
“The planned 102-km stretch of railway will connect the tourist town of Cox’s Bazar with the existing Bangladesh railway network,” said Markus Roesner, principal transport specialist with ADB’s South Asia Department. 
“It will boost local and regional tourism by providing both safe and environment-friendly connectivity from Dhaka and Chittagong,” he added.

The investment is the largest the ADB has ever granted to Bangladesh and the biggest the bank has committed to a railway project.
Building the rail section and nine stations between Dohazari and Cox’s Bazar will cost a total of USD 2.012 billion, with the government providing USD 512 million on top of the four-tranche ADB financing. A further USD 1 million in technical assistance will help Bangladesh Railway with safeguards, safety awareness and procurement. The stations will integrate design features that are friendly to elderly people, women, children, and people with disabilities. 
The government is also overhauling the 47km stretch of rail between Chittagong and Dohazari.
About 2.2 million people live in Cox’s Bazar district. To make travel easier, all train stations will have connections with other kinds of transport. The government is also keen to develop Cox’s Bazar as a tourism hub. Around 1.9 million tourists visit the beaches of Cox’s Bazar every year, and this is expected to grow 5 per cent annually after the completion of the project. Special tourist trains will operate between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar along the new line.
The construction of the railway section will help Bangladesh meet its targets under its Seventh Five Year Plan and its Railway Master Plan to boost Bangladesh Railway’s freight market share to 15 per cent and passenger market share to 10 per cent. Both are currently around 4 per cent. 
The ADB and other development partners are funding other rail projects—-two rail corridors from Dhaka, through Chittagong, to Cox’s Bazar and from Dhaka to Khulna, a major city in western Bangladesh.
Under the second phase, the ADB expects to enhance the capacity of the upcoming rail line and finance extensions to the Myanmar border, as well as to the planned deep sea port on Matarbari Island, north of Cox’s Bazar. 
Converting the Dhaka-Chittagong section of the railway to dual-gauge will be financed under another ADB project.

$1.5b ADB grant for dual-gauge railways in southeast region

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide USD1.5 billion to Bangladesh to build a dual-gauge railway line to boost trade and tourism in the southernmost parts of the country, a press statement said yesterday. The new railway, part of the Trans-Asia Railway network, will also improve access to Myanmar and beyond. The Trans-Asia Railway, an initiative led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, aims to provide seamless rail links between Asia and Europe to better connect people and markets. The planned 102-km stretch of railway will connect the tourist town of Coxs Bazar with the existing Bangladesh railway network, said Markus Roesner, principal transport specialist with ADBs South Asia Department. It will boost local and regional tourism by providingboth safe and environment-friendly connectivity from Dhaka and Chittagong, he added. The investment is the largest the ADB has ever granted to Bangladesh and the biggest the bank has committed to a railway project. Building the rail section and nine stations between Dohazari and Coxs Bazar will cost a total of USD 2.012 billion, with the government providing USD 512 million on top of the four-tranche ADB financing. A further USD 1 million in technical assistance will help Bangladesh Railway with safeguards, safety awareness and procurement. The stations will integrate design features that are friendly to elderly people, women, children, and people with disabilities. The government is also overhauling the 47km stretch of rail between Chittagong and Dohazari. About 2.2 million people live in Coxs Bazar district. To make travel easier, all train stations will have connections with other kinds of transport. The government is also keen to develop Coxs Bazar as a tourism hub. Around 1.9 million tourists visit the beaches of Coxs Bazar every year, and this is expected to grow 5 per cent annually after the completion of the project. Special tourist trains will operate between Dhaka and Coxs Bazar along the new line. The construction of the railway section will help Bangladesh meet its targets under its Seventh Five Year Plan and its Railway Master Plan to boost Bangladesh Railways freight market share to 15 per cent and passenger market share to 10 per cent. Both are currently around 4 per cent. The ADB and other development partners are funding other rail projects-two rail corridors from Dhaka, through Chittagong, to Coxs Bazar and from Dhaka to Khulna, a major city in western Bangladesh. Under the second phase, the ADB expects to enhance the capacity of the upcoming rail line and finance extensions to the Myanmar border, as well as to the planned deep sea port on Matarbari Island, north of Coxs Bazar. Converting the Dhaka-Chittagong section of the railway to dual-gauge will be financed under another ADB project.