Dhaka to introduce railcars using Indian credit

DHAKA - Bangladesh will introduce three-carriage trains called railcars between the national capital and its adjoining districts next year, using a part of the $1 billion Indian line of credit extended in January this year.

Bangladesh Railway recently submitted a proposal to the planning commission to buy 10 diesel-electric multiple units (DEMU), also called railcars or railmotors, in the first phase of this effort.

The railcars are to cost Taka 210 million ($29 million), The Daily Star said Monday.

A DEMU is a three-carriage train and it is capable of carrying 300 passengers at a time. They have engines at both ends.

“We have proposed purchasing 10 railcars with an estimated Tk 210 million from the Indian state credit,” Railway Director General T.A. Chowdhury told The Daily Star that 21 more railcars will be bought with government funds in the second phase to increase the frequency of trains.

Besides purchasing railcars, Bangladesh is engaged with India in modernising its rail network and both neighbours are working to match the rail gauges to be able to join the Trans-Asian rail network that will connect Europe with Southeast Asia.

“We will replace the conventional trains with the railcars and use those on long-distance routes,” said Chowdhury adding that they are planning to run commuter trains on the routes every 30 minutes to meet the huge demand.

Transport sector expert M. Rahmatullah said railcars are very useful for transporting a large number of passengers from one place to another in a short time.

“The big advantage of a railcar is that it has small engines on both sides and number of bogies can be adjusted depending on the demand of the passengers,” he told The Daily Star.