Today, June 01, 2024, saw the start of train communication on the 138.64-kilometer Benapole-Mongla route, carrying 600 people on its first trip.
When the passenger train, adorned with vibrant ribbon and festoons, left for Mongla port at around 10 am and arrived in Mongla via Phultala in Khulna at about 2:05 pm today, people from all walks of life erupted with joy.
Ahmed Masum, an additional general manager of Railways, stated that the commuter train will run every day but Tuesdays.
Railway engineer Sadekur Rahman, chief commercial officer Sujit kumar Biswas, Superintendent Ahmed Ullah and traffic inspector Aungshuman Chowdhury, among others, were present at the station.
Khulna Mongla Port Railway Project Director Md Arifuzzaman said: “The Betna Express train left the Benapole station around 10.00am and reached the Mongla station around 2.05pm. This marks the inauguration of official train movement on this route.”
Earlier, necessary preparations, including hiring permanent manpower, have been completed to launch passenger trains, he said.
The train schedule of Betna Express is as follows: it will leave Khulna at 6:15am, reach Benapole at 8:30am, then leave Benapole via Phultala and arrive in Mongla at 12:35pm. On its way from Phultala, the Mongla Commuter will stop at Mohammadnagar, Katakhali, and Chulkati Bazar railway stations. The train will depart from Mongla at 1pm and reach Benapole at 4:30pm. Trains are closed weekly on Tuesday.
The Khulna-Mongla railway project was initiated in 2010 and approved by the National Economic Council Executive Committee (Ecnec). The project has been implemented in three phases.
The total length of the railway track, including the main line, is 86.87km, with 64.75km of broad gauge railway. A 5.13km railway bridge has been constructed over the Rupsa River. The project’s initial cost, including land acquisition, railway line, and bridge construction, was estimated at Tk 1,721 crore.
In 2015, the revised development project proposal increased to Tk3, 801.61 crore. Both time and cost were extended again in 2021, with the final cost standing at Tk4, 260.88 cores, and the project’s completion date extended to March 31, 2024.
A 5.13 km bridge across the Rupsa River, 64 km of track connecting Phultala and Mongla, 91 km of road with double lines at stations, nine platforms, 107 tiny bridges, and nine underpasses are all part of the project. Additionally, the telecommunication and signaling projects are finished.
The second-largest seaport in the nation, Mongla, was founded on December 1, 1950. The port is 48 kilometers south of Khulna city in the Bagerhat district, near the meeting point of the Pasur and Mongla rivers.
The people living in this area will have their long-held wish come true with the opening of train services on this route. It will also greatly improve transportation facilities by allowing traders to move goods through Mongla Port more swiftly and affordably.
The second-largest seaport in Bangladesh, Mongla, will be connected by rail for the first time in 73 years.
The railway connection was virtually launched on November 1, 2023, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
On October 30, 2023, a trial run from Phultala to Mongla was carried out.
