China Railway Design Corporation, a Chinese company, is likely to conduct a feasibility study and also plan the design of the proposed Dhaka-Chattogram high-speed ‘Bullet’ train at a cost of Tk 102.10 crore. Later, the railway ministry will invite tender for its construction, sources in the ministry said. The train will run at a speed of 120-km per hour, and the journey time would be reduced by two hours. The existing Dhaka-Chattogram rail link runs for 320-km through Tongi, Bhairab, Akhaura, Comilla and Feni and it’s a 7-10 hours journey.

The railway ministry has prepared a proposal to give the work order to the Chinese company which is likely to be placed at the next meeting of the cabinet committee on purchase.

Secretary of the ministry, Md Mofazzel Hossain, in his proposal said they will appoint the Chinese consultant for the feasibility study and designing of the proposed Dhaka-Chattogram high speed train service under a project of the ministry.

“This preliminary work will be completed by 2019 and then the ministry will invite tender to construct the country’s first high speed train,” the proposal said.

“The Chinese consultant firm, in cooperation with Majumder Enterprise, a Bangladeshi consultancy firm, will conduct the feasibility study jointly,” the proposal added.

Sources said China has expressed interest to fund the mega project, which will be implemented under a government-to-government (G2G) agreement at an estimated cost of Tk 50,000 crore.

The new route of the proposed high speed train would reduce the distance between Dhaka and Chattogram by about 90km and the time by two hours.

The railway ministry has selected the 208.5km Madanpur (Dhaka)-Daudkandi-Barura-Feni-Chattogram route for the high-speed train.

The sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed construction of the high-speed train during her visit to the rail ministry in 2014. Since then, the ministry started the work of the development project proposal (DPP) and the Planning Commission approved it.

The highways department said they have identified three probable routes to construct the Dhaka-Chattogram Expressway where the high-speed rail tracks would be set up alongside.

These are: the 217.5km Madanpur (Dhaka)-Daudkandi-Comilla-Feni-Chattogram route, 208.5km Madanpur (Dhaka)-Daudkandi-Barura-Feni-Chattogram route and 280km Madanpur (Dhaka)-Daudkandi-Chandpur-Feni-Chattogram route.