Tk 1 billion deal signed for Dhaka-Chattogram high-speed train feasibility study

[TopCat]

I mostly agree, at current stage of economic development this bullet train project seems premature but one thing we have to consider, when Bangladesh will feel the need of this train, then construction cost will multiply by many times. The land price in Dhaka-Chittagong economic corridor is rising very fast and availability shrinking.So a project like this which will be necessary when Bangladesh reach the economic prosperity of current China, we may had to regret for not starting earlier.Few days ago PM said all the big development project now being undertaken keeping in mind of next 50-100 years. She lamented that, if we had develop Dhaka's transport infrastructure 30-40 years ago in planned ways keeping in mind of future demand, then current condition in Dhaka would not have been so horrible.

These are not bullet trains but high speed train. The speed parameter proposed should be the standard in 21st century

 

[beijingwalker]

China can get it done very fast , about 70% of the world totaal high speed railways are operating in China, we have HSR running in the highest mountains, largest deserts, frigid zone near Siberia and tropical island of Hainan.

 

[Bilal9]

I mostly agree, at current stage of economic development this bullet train project seems premature but one thing we have to consider, when Bangladesh will feel the need of this train, then construction cost will multiply by many times. The land price in Dhaka-Chittagong economic corridor is rising very fast and availability shrinking.So a project like this which will be necessary when Bangladesh reach the economic prosperity of current China, we may had to regret for not starting earlier.Few days ago PM said all the big development project now being undertaken keeping in mind of next 50-100 years. She lamented that, if we had develop Dhaka's transport infrastructure 30-40 years ago in planned ways keeping in mind of future demand, then current condition in Dhaka would not have been so horrible.

Wise words Bhaishaheb - I didn't look at it from that angle at all....

But the Railways should have bought 'right-of-way' already for two way traffic.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

So, there is no Dhaka-Chittagong double track rail.

After completion of 72 km Akhaura-Laksham section to double track whose works are now progressing, the entire Dhaka-Chittagong rail line will be double track dual gauze line.It seems, you have very rudimentary level of knowledge about the day to day development in Bangladesh, but upon that you give big judgement here on Bangladesh nonetheless.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/...rains-on-broad-gauge-lines-by-2040-1517511591

Plan to put all trains on broad-gauge lines by 2040
Total halt to meter-gauge dev activities after 2025 for the switch
Munima Sultana | Published: February 02, 2018 00:59:51

All meter-gauge (MG)-related development activities of Bangladesh Railway (OR) may halt after 2025 as the government plans to put all trains on broad-gauge (BG) lines.


Officials said the complete switch in the popular transport service will take up to 2040 under a mega-plan for transformation of the centuries-old railways.

According to BR's record, Eastern Bengal Railway had started construction of the first BG line between Darsana and Jagati of Kushtia district way back in 1862.


Sources said the latest target is set to stop the buying of any meter- gauge coaches and locomotives after 2025 and start full-fledged conversion of the BR services to BG by 2040.


"More than two-trillion-taka investment would be required to carry out the conversion as well as construction of new broad-gauge tracks till 2040," says an official.

He, however, said investment to reach the target has already been begun as the BR has been executing over Tk 800 billion worth of projects to construct dual-gauge tracks alongside existing tracks on many routes by 2020.

Officials said the latest target is fixed to make the state-owned train enterprise into international-standard one as many countries have already discarded MG services.

The manufacturing of MG coaches and locomotives has also stopped in many parts of the world.

The targeted advances in this mass-transport sector have already been incorporated into the revised 20-year master plan which is now being framed, they also said.

"We will go for broad gauge by 2040. But metre-gauge trains and freight services may be available in branch areas and will continue till the end of life of MG locomotives," said one official involved with the planning.


As per the target, he said, no BR's development activities would be taken on MG after 2025. All track-development activities will be BG-centric.


The BR has now tracks on both MG and BG systems but majority of 4,185km tracks are MG lines. Since 2009, the present government has invested several hundred billion of taka in the sector to enhance BR's image through improving its tracks, and train and freight services.

But all its development activities have been centered on developing double lines of MG or single-line dual gauge, which means MG or BG trains both can be operated on the single line. Almost entire track of western zone of the BR is based on BG. But the eastern part which carries majority train and freight services for having connected with the Chittagong Port city still boasts moving on MG.

BR officials said as setting up a rail line is time-consuming, initial planning to improve the rail service was taken based on existing resources to improve both passenger train or freight services with speed and maintaining time.

Though the officials said the entire target of the BR is to make the service international-standard, critics said no effort was there to set up standard-gauge line simultaneously when many countries have already switched to the new track.

They said standard gauge is introduced to run high-speed trains.


A BR official, preferring not to be named, said to match with the train services of the neighbouring countries, including India, the BG-based train service has been planned.

BG is widely used in India along the border of Bangladesh, he added

The official, however, said a project has already been taken to find the viability of introducing speedy train which would also help BR assess the needs for developing standard line in the future.

The BR is committed to turning its services to international-standard ones for joining trans-Asian Railway (TAR) corridor for improving train- based trade corridor with regional countries.

 

[Bilal9]

The tracks should be made overhead as much as possible.

Excellent suggestion but that will be extremely expensive. We have to see how China built HSR trains. That will be in the feasibility report.

The Wdm3a locomotives from India are more advanced for Bangladesh with capability to achieve 120 kmh. But Im not sure if they could ever achieve 70 kmh.

Indians started license-building these ALCO US made locos as WDM2 (before WDM2 evolved to WDM3a) from original US designation ALCO RSD-29, a low power road-switcher design - the Indian variant was known as DL-560c in US Export designation. These were built in US then India with ToT in the early 60's (ALCO agreed to ToT because of dire financial conditions but EMD did not). However they have seen some improvement in India since then. But this 60's design is heavily antiquated (super heavy cast iron bogies and components) and now being replaced in Indian Railway service with many newer more powerful models.

If we get Indian credit we should be buying (broad gauge only) their newer design 4000 HP American EMD designed locos such as WDP4D (for passenger use) or WDG4D (for Goods or container use). Ugly as sin, but rather cheap for the intended use (can pull twice as many wagons and container carriers vs. WDM3a). The power-packs were also of EMD's design.

I don't know how much more a WDP4D costs compared to a WDM3a. Maybe someone from the IRFCA fan club here can answer.

Of course for our meter gauge use Hyundai loco class is unparalleled and still king of reliability. They however will phase out Meter gauge by 2040. No new Meter gauge equipment will be bought after 2025 which is better for track load and stability.

We should also build and assemble locomotives, wagons, boxcars and coaches locally, knowing that demand has now exceeded a critical level.

Most railroad track used for main line trains in the United States weighs at least 130 pounds per yard, or 43.33 pounds per foot. Ours is far lighter than this. We should upgrade this for container carrying use because newer locos and container-carrier designs (such as thrall double stacked units) will exert far more pressure.

We should also use concrete ties, most mainlines in Bangladesh have been changed to concrete ties already which is a requirement for HSR trains. The Japanese mainlines have used concrete ties since the 70's.

 

[bluesky]

Work is going on in both front. All track being upgraded to dual gauge and dual track. I dont think govt has any plan for electric train in existing track though.
stop blabbering without any knowledge of things.

I thought you are the guy who blabber without essence. Tell me why the there is no electric trains and why there is no double tracks in Dhaka-Chittagong route although we are hearing it since before 1971? As usual, the govt politicians are here to just ploy to steal money by floating an absurd project, stupid Mongol. By the way, are you planning to run a 200 kmph train without electricity?

 

[bluesky]

After completion of 72 km Akhaura-Laksham section to double track whose works are now progressing, the entire Dhaka-Chittagong rail line will be double track dual gauze line.It seems, you have very rudimentary level of knowledge about the day to day development in Bangladesh, but upon that you give big judgement here on Bangladesh nonetheless.

Why do you think I have shallow knowledge about what is happening in BD? I have eyes to see and you have your eyes to read the newspaper reports. The Akhaura-laksham segment double tracking started in March 2016. Three years have passed, but no final news yet.

We have been hearing of double tracking the entire Dhaka-Ctg route since Pakistan time, though. However, it is good to see Akhaura-Laksam positive works. But, I was questioning, even 71 years after 1947 BD has been unable to build double tracks and failed to do electrification in this route. Yet, the govt is talking about an absurd bullet train which is not needed at the moment. I think, we are depending too much on Chinese money.

 

[UKBengali]

Why do you think I have shallow knowledge about what is happening in BD? I have eyes to see and you have your eyes to read the newspaper reports. The Akhaura-laksham segment double tracking started in March 2016. Three years have passed, but no final news yet.

We have been hearing of double tracking the entire Dhaka-Ctg route since Pakistan time, though. However, it is good to see Akhaura-Laksam positive works. But, I was questioning, even 71 years after 1947 BD has been unable to build double tracks and failed to do electrification in this route. Yet, the govt is talking about an absurd bullet train which is not needed at the moment. I think, we are depending too much on Chinese money.

Again BD independence started in 1971. That makes it 47 years.
Serious questions about your real nationality are being raised
here now.

 

[bluesky]

Again BD independence started in 1971. That makes it 47 years.
Serious questions about your real nationality are being raised
here now.

Why do you stick to 1971? Do not you even know that a 3,000 km railway line was built during British time in BD? How many kms. were built during your BD time? Rather, it was shortened by about 500 km. by gaddar people like you after 1971. Read also the edited news report about gas exploration in BD during Pakistan time. Learn to respect history with a flexible mind.
12:00 AM, June 01, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:06 AM, June 01, 2018
The telltale signs of untapped natural gas in southern Bangladesh

SOURCE: TECHMORAN
Dr Badrul Imam

Bangladesh has been lagging behind in conducting petroleum exploration. In the 1960s, the country gained the position of a natural gas province in the world map when Shell Oil Company drilled and successively discovered five very large gas fields in Sylhet and Comilla areas. The discoveries were easy and the explorers used simple rules of petroleum science to bring those wells to success. Unfortunately, Bangladesh could not come out of its “simple way” even after more than half a century since these large discoveries, whereas much of the exploration around the world now engages more complex procedures. The present gas crisis and cries of a depleting gas reserve are a result of the above scenario.

In 1953, a foreign oil company, PPL, drilled an exploration well in Patiya—some 25km southeast of Chittagong city. One observes that there are lots of natural gas seepages in the ground in Patiya hill. The well, Patiya-1, was drilled to a depth of 3100m with strong wireline indication of a gas zone in the subsurface.

A similar case was the Jaldi-1 well drilled in 1965 at Jaldi hills about 90km southeast of Chittagong city. The well was drilled to a depth of 2300m. There was clear indirect wireline log indication of the presence of gas in the well but because of heavy mud used in those days, the gas was suppressed from coming up the drill hole.

Geoscientists believe that Patiya and Jaldi are definitely sitting on gas reserves. Bangladesh has been negotiating with Chinese companies to come up with joint venture (JV) agreements with Bapex for several years now to explore Jaldi and Patiya, but no conclusive agreement has been reached.

 

[Michael Corleone]

You will be castigated/castracized if you defend India. I will be whipped with barbed words If I say something. But, anyway, I am wondering if the plan of setting double tracks in the Dhaka-Ctg. line has already been materialized. I have been hearing this since Pakistan time, though!!! Now, suddenly a payment of good amount of money for just the feasibility study of bullet train?

I know about the structure of this type of line. It will be very expensive to build one in BD. Most of the track length will have to be built overhead on RCC structure, the columns of which will be supported by piled foundations. Hope, I will see some positive reports after, say, 5 years.

Increasing cost, decreasing the road area underneath and it’s questionable if it would be able to transport more people than currently possible on the same regular path

 

[Bilal9]

Increasing cost, decreasing the road area underneath and it’s questionable if it would be able to transport more people than currently possible on the same regular path

The rail used in local Bangladesh mainlines is very light capacity rail. Rail twice as heavy is available which can easily carry double-decker trains which India has already introduced in about two dozen routes (see below). And double trackage (especially Dhaka-Chittagong) can withstand twice the schedule it currently uses.

Why do you stick to 1971? Do not you even know that a 3,000 km railway line was built during British time in BD? How many kms. were built during your BD time? Rather, it was shortened by about 500 km. by gaddar people like you after 1971. Read also the edited news report about gas exploration in BD during Pakistan time. Learn to respect history with a flexible mind.
12:00 AM, June 01, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:06 AM, June 01, 2018
The telltale signs of untapped natural gas in southern Bangladesh

SOURCE: TECHMORAN
Dr Badrul Imam

Bangladesh has been lagging behind in conducting petroleum exploration. In the 1960s, the country gained the position of a natural gas province in the world map when Shell Oil Company drilled and successively discovered five very large gas fields in Sylhet and Comilla areas. The discoveries were easy and the explorers used simple rules of petroleum science to bring those wells to success. Unfortunately, Bangladesh could not come out of its “simple way” even after more than half a century since these large discoveries, whereas much of the exploration around the world now engages more complex procedures. The present gas crisis and cries of a depleting gas reserve are a result of the above scenario.

In 1953, a foreign oil company, PPL, drilled an exploration well in Patiya—some 25km southeast of Chittagong city. One observes that there are lots of natural gas seepages in the ground in Patiya hill. The well, Patiya-1, was drilled to a depth of 3100m with strong wireline indication of a gas zone in the subsurface.

A similar case was the Jaldi-1 well drilled in 1965 at Jaldi hills about 90km southeast of Chittagong city. The well was drilled to a depth of 2300m. There was clear indirect wireline log indication of the presence of gas in the well but because of heavy mud used in those days, the gas was suppressed from coming up the drill hole.

Geoscientists believe that Patiya and Jaldi are definitely sitting on gas reserves. Bangladesh has been negotiating with Chinese companies to come up with joint venture (JV) agreements with Bapex for several years now to explore Jaldi and Patiya, but no conclusive agreement has been reached.

Please do not divert and derail the thread with OT subjects like gas drilling and refrain from ad-hominem attacks calling people names.

And still waiting to hear your Bengali words though. Everyone here knows by now that you are suspected to be false-flagger. False-flaggers should not be posting items on Bangladesh like they are local 'experts'.

 

[Nilgiri]

refrain from ad-hominem attacks calling people names.

.... coming from:

untermensch

Two Buddhist wannabe militant brothers-in-arms, one from SL, the other from Apeland.

ugly scrawny moron

unwanted gutter- pest

Ghoti coward dhoti

and plenty plenty more....

and same one that gets super offended by even:

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/ruff...adesh-air-force-officer.550091/#post-10350128

Remember that one @DESERT FIGHTER @django @Valar.

And still waiting to hear your Bengali words though. Everyone here knows by now that you are suspected to be false-flagger. False-flaggers should not be posting items on Bangladesh like they are local 'experts'.

Hey @bluesky good luck with the inquisition by these groupthink nutters, led by mr CGI STRONK lol.

@Gibbs @Aung Zaya

 

[Homo Sapiens]

http://www.newagebd.net/article/450...-speed-trains-to-ferry-50000-passengers-daily
Dhaka-Chittagong high speed trains to ferry 50,000 passengers daily
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka | Published: 01:17, Jul 02,2018



Over 50,000 passengers will be able to commute between the national capital and port city Chittagong daily in just two-hour time once high speed trains are introduced on Dhaka-Chittagong route.

In an exclusive interview, railways minister Mujibul Haque said recently that once the high speed trains are pressed into the service, expectedly by 2025, passengers on this route will be able to avail trains once every half an hour from 6:00am till 10:00pm.

The high speed trains will carry passengers from Dhaka to Chittagong and vice versa in just 1.5 to 2 hours’ time costing Tk 1500 per passenger, said the minister.

Citing it as an important project for the country, the railways minister added that the trains will be similar to those operated in Europe, China, Japan and Korea.

Eight pairs of high-speed trains will shuttle between Dhaka and Chittagong, each containing ten coaches and two engines in front and back of the trains.

Each train can accommodate 800 passengers, with as many as 32 trips daily from Dhaka to Chittagong and vice versa.

Currently, eight pairs of trains commute on Dhaka-Chittagong route, accommodating 15,000-20,000 passengers daily. These trains generally take over five to six hours to cover the distance.

Now, railways minister said, the distance between Dhaka and Chittagong by rail is 321 km, but it would come down to 230 km after the construction of a new rail route, while the travel time will be something between 1.5 hours to 2 hours, with the high speed train moving as fast as 200 km per hour.

According to sources at Bangladesh Railway, the entire project will cost Tk 50,000 crore, which the Bangladesh government plans on completing with the help of a foreign donor.

They also said that an entirely separate rail line will be constructed in the Dhaka-Comilla, Laksam-Chittagong route, which will be built over Feni and will conclude at a newly-built rail station just beside the existing station in Chittagong.

In a recent research report Japan International Cooperation Agency said that the new high-speed trains would generate demands for 60,000 passengers on Dhaka-Comilla, 40,000 on Comilla-Feni and 50,000 on Feni-Chittagong routes.

A contract to undertake feasibility study and detailed design regarding the project was signed between Bangladesh Railway and a Bangladeshi-Chinese consortium on May 31 between China Railway Design Corporation, China and Mazumder Enterprise, Bangladesh Consortium.

The railways minister said the Tk. 102 crore study will be completed within the next 18 months.
On completion of the feasibility study and detailed design plan, railway sources said that the government will approve the Development Project Proposal by 2020, and seek for donor to finance the project.
Related tenders will be floated for contractors within this period.

Necessary land acquisition for the new rail line and station will also commence, which will run parallel to the other aspects and conclude by 2021.

It will take three to four years to complete the entire project, with rail sources estimating the project to be completed by 2024-25.

 

[Bilal9]

http://www.newagebd.net/article/450...-speed-trains-to-ferry-50000-passengers-daily
Dhaka-Chittagong high speed trains to ferry 50,000 passengers daily
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka | Published: 01:17, Jul 02,2018

Over 50,000 passengers will be able to commute between the national capital and port city Chittagong daily in just two-hour time once high speed trains are introduced on Dhaka-Chittagong route.

In an exclusive interview, railways minister Mujibul Haque said recently that once the high speed trains are pressed into the service, expectedly by 2025, passengers on this route will be able to avail trains once every half an hour from 6:00am till 10:00pm.

The high speed trains will carry passengers from Dhaka to Chittagong and vice versa in just 1.5 to 2 hours’ time costing Tk 1500 per passenger, said the minister.

Citing it as an important project for the country, the railways minister added that the trains will be similar to those operated in Europe, China, Japan and Korea.

Eight pairs of high-speed trains will shuttle between Dhaka and Chittagong, each containing ten coaches and two engines in front and back of the trains.

Each train can accommodate 800 passengers, with as many as 32 trips daily from Dhaka to Chittagong and vice versa.

Currently, eight pairs of trains commute on Dhaka-Chittagong route, accommodating 15,000-20,000 passengers daily. These trains generally take over five to six hours to cover the distance.

Now, railways minister said, the distance between Dhaka and Chittagong by rail is 321 km, but it would come down to 230 km after the construction of a new rail route, while the travel time will be something between 1.5 hours to 2 hours, with the high speed train moving as fast as 200 km per hour.

According to sources at Bangladesh Railway, the entire project will cost Tk 50,000 crore, which the Bangladesh government plans on completing with the help of a foreign donor.

They also said that an entirely separate rail line will be constructed in the Dhaka-Comilla, Laksam-Chittagong route, which will be built over Feni and will conclude at a newly-built rail station just beside the existing station in Chittagong.

In a recent research report Japan International Cooperation Agency said that the new high-speed trains would generate demands for 60,000 passengers on Dhaka-Comilla, 40,000 on Comilla-Feni and 50,000 on Feni-Chittagong routes.

A contract to undertake feasibility study and detailed design regarding the project was signed between Bangladesh Railway and a Bangladeshi-Chinese consortium on May 31 between China Railway Design Corporation, China and Mazumder Enterprise, Bangladesh Consortium.

The railways minister said the Tk. 102 crore study will be completed within the next 18 months.
On completion of the feasibility study and detailed design plan, railway sources said that the government will approve the Development Project Proposal by 2020, and seek for donor to finance the project.
Related tenders will be floated for contractors within this period.

Necessary land acquisition for the new rail line and station will also commence, which will run parallel to the other aspects and conclude by 2021.

It will take three to four years to complete the entire project, with rail sources estimating the project to be completed by 2024-25.

If they can pull off a High Speed electrified railway on this corridor (not via roundabout Brahmanbaria route, but direct through Daudkandi/Comilla to Chittagong, like the article below states that could shave off the length of the route from 320 km to 230 km. Which means (now get this), a High Speed train running at design speeds (a few clicks below 200 kmh or so) will get to Chittagong in an hour and a half, or two hours tops.

If you consider air transport and all the formalities, that will be equal or less time than going by air!

I am guessing that detailed design study will include electrification of the line in the scope of the project proposal - which currently of course does not exist.

But getting there from here where we are now will not be easy. Lot's of first/second world countries such as Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia are planning this and haven't seen this materialize yet. Our condition is far, far worse. There is no word such as impossible however. We have indeed come a long way in spite of tremendous odds against us....

__________________________________________________________________________

1 JUNE 2018

NEWS
Bangladesh to test high-speed rail feasibility on key route

The Bangladesh Government has signed a new agreement with two companies to carry out a feasibility study and detailed design works to build a high-speed railway between the capital Dhaka and seaport city of Chittagong.

The agreement, signed with China Railway Design Corporation (CRDC) and Bangladesh-based consultancy firm Mazumder Enterprise, will explore the potentiality of the new route.

Other than evaluating the feasibility and conducting engineering design works, the parties will identify the estimated costs and environmental impact of the project.


The existing railway link that connects Dhaka and Chittagong, known as Chattogram, is nearly 320km long, though the planned high-speed rail line would be implemented on a shorter route, which could be around 230km long.

“The highway and railway connecting Dhaka and Chattogram are thought to be among the most promising transportation networks in the country.”
Thedailystar.net said that once the project is implemented, the duration of the journey between the two cities will be reduced to nearly two hours.

According to Xinhuanet.com, the new high-speed rail link, which will be the first of its kind in Bangladesh, will see trains run at a speed of 200km/h.

After the preliminary works, which should be completed by 2019, the railway ministry of Bangladesh is expected to issue tenders for the project.

The highway and railway connecting Dhaka and Chattogram are thought to be among the most promising transportation networks in the country.

The construction of the new high-speed rail link is expected to ease congestion and burdens on the existing routes, improving the connectivity between the two cities.

Scheduled to be completed in the next 18 months, the feasibility and detailed design works are slated to begin in less than a month.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chinese company to conduct feasibility study for Bangladesh's first high speed railway project
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-01 01:12:13|Editor: mmm



DHAKA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has relied on a Chinese engineering giant to conduct a feasibility study and carry out detailed design for construction of the 230-km high-speed railway from capital Dhaka to seaport city Chittagong, officially known as Chattogram.

The proposed Dhaka-Chattogram rail route is set to be the first stretch to be explored for the Bangladesh Railway sector's first high-speed railway project.

Bangladesh Railway Thursday signed an agreement with China Railway Design Corporation (CRDC) to conduct the feasibility study and detailed design.

Md Quamrul Ahsan, project director, and the authorized representative of CRDC, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides here on Thursday.

According to the agreement, the feasibility study and detail design work will be completed within 18 months.

The Chinese consultant firm, in cooperation with Bangladesh Railway and Mazumder Enterprise, a Bangladeshi consultancy firm, will conduct the feasibility study.

At the signing ceremony, Bangladeshi Railway Minister M. Mazibul Hoque said Dhaka-Chattogram railway is very important.

Upon fruition, it will cut the traveling time from Dhaka to Chattogram by two hours as the new route of the proposed high-speed train would reduce the distance between the country's two largest cities by about 90 km.

The train will run at a speed of 200 km per hour on the new rail link.

The existing Dhaka-Chattogram rail link runs for 320 km and it's a journey of seven to ten hours.

Officials said the preliminary work will be completed by 2019 and then the ministry will invite tender to construct the country's first high-speed railway.

With daily traffic of tens of thousands, Dhaka-Chattogram highway and rail way are the main transportation arteries in Bangladesh.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-06/01/c_137221277.htm

_____________________________________________________________________________

Here are some other Chinese initiated infra projects (including intercity rail link projects) for other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Indonesia...

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/chin...o-tram-rolling-stocks-etc-news.435357/page-22