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Dohazari Cox's Bazar Rail Line Project

Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar railway project is expected to connect the national and sub-regional railway networks for the first time. The new line will connect Cox’s Bazar district to sub-regional markets in order to enhance trade. By providing intermodal facilities for passengers and freight, the project will also improve connections to Myanmar. With dual-gauge tracks, the project will offer connections to western Bangladesh and India, where most of the railways are broad-gauge, and towards north-eastern India and Southeast Asia, which primarily offer meter-gauge tracks. The project helps Bangladesh to meet its targets under its 7th Five-Year plan and its railway master plan, which aim to raise the country’s freight market share to 15% and its passenger market share to 10%. Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar railway line is a proposed 120km dual-gauge passenger line from Dohazari village in south-east Bangladesh to Cox’s Bazar, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The greenfield project is one of seven investment sub-projects being undertaken by the Bangladesh Railway (BR) to improve the country’s rail connectivity with other Asian countries. It is part of Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network and will improve access to Myanmar and beyond. In September 2016, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced it would offer $1.5bn of funding to the project, which is the biggest investment ever made by the bank to the country’s railways. The project will take five years to complete, and generate employment for approximately 3,500 workers in local communities. It will also enhance trade and tourism in the southernmost parts of the country. The first phase of the project will include a single-track rail line approximately 102km in length. It will pass through eight sub-districts (upazilas) including the Chandanaish, Satkania and Lohagara sub-divisions in Chittagong district and the Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu and Ukhia sub-divisions in Cox’s Bazar district. The line will begin at Dohazari village and continue southwards to Cox’s Bazar. The first 29km segment will run across flat, open land in the Chittagong district, while the next 33km will travel through agricultural land and forests in the Chakaria Upazila of Cox’s Bazar District. During the project’s second phase, the rail line will be extended to the Myanmar border, as well as a planned deep-sea port on Matarbari Island. A total of eight new stations will be built for the new alignment, in addition to an existing station at Dohazari. The existing station will be demolished to construct a new facility on the opposite side of the tracks, while 2km of existing tracks near the Dohazari station will be renovated. Stations will be equipped with relay batteries, generator rooms, sewage and waste management facilities, and energy-saving features such as solar panels. They will feature separate facilities for women, children, elderly and the disabled. A total of 183 water crossings, including 39 bridges and 144 culverts, will be constructed along the new alignment. Six large bridges will be constructed over the Sangu, Matamuhuri and Bakkhali rivers, as well as the Idgaon Chara tributary. The estimated investment for the project is $2.012bn, $512m of which will be provided by the Bangladesh government, while $1.5bn will be offered by ADB.