Dedicated Rail Bridge Over Jamuna: Work yet to start, cost up by 33pc
The project cost of building a rail bridge over the Jamuna river has
increased by Tk 3,216 crore even before the start of physical work.
The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday gave conditional approval to the project aimed at improving the capacity and safety of rail communications across the river to the northwestern and southern regions.
The project now costs an estimated Tk 12,950.6 crore, which is 33 percent more than the amount mentioned in Development Project Proforma approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in December 2016.
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge Construction Project was supposed to be implemented between January 2016 and December 2023. But the purchase committee approval comes more than three years after the Ecnec approved it.
After yesterday’s purchase committee meeting, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said they gave “conditional approval” because of the significant increase in the project cost.
The railways ministry will have to place the revised Development Project Proforma (DPP) for Ecnec approval, he said.
Its work order will be issued once the Ecnec approves the revised DPP.
“The project will proceed as per the revised DPP. But we have given the approval so that they don’t have to come to us [purchase committee] again,” the minister said.
According to the project document, the new 4.8 km bridge will be built some 300 metres upstream to the Bangabandhu bridge.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to launch the physical work of the dual-gauge double-track bridge in March, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Shamsuzzaman told The Daily Star.
The bridge would be constructed under two packages. Japan will provide the lion’s share of the cost in soft loans.
A joint venture of the Obayashi Corporation, TOA Corporation and JFE would construct the eastern part of the bridge at the cost of Tk 6,801 crore while another joint venture of the IHI and SMCC companies will work on the western part involving Tk 6,148 crore, officials said.
All the companies are from Japan.
Sources at the railways and finance ministries said the original DPP was approved with an estimated cost, and the actual cost was supposed to be fixed after completion of the detailed design.
After approval of the DPP in 2016, consultants financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) carried out different studies, reviewed feasibility and prepared a detailed design, documents show.
New technologies like Steel-Pipe-Sheet-Pile foundation, Direct Rail Fastener, Weathering Steel, Head Hardened Rail, and Derailment Guard will be used for the first time in Bangladesh.
Since the officials did not know that these technologies would be used, they could not make a proper estimation, another official said.
As per the loan contract signed in June 2018, Japan would provide the total fund for constructing the bridge and rail lines, while Bangladesh will bear the administrative expenditure, customs duties and VAT, the official said.
The delays are mainly due to restrictions on load and speed on the existing bridge, which has rail lines and roads.
With a top permitted speed of 20kmph, it takes about half an hour for a train to make it from the station on the east side to the one on the west, officials said.
Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan on several occasions said the problems plaguing train schedules on the routes could not be solved until the rail bridge and the dual-gauge double lines between Joydebpur and Ishwardi were constructed.
There is a single line from Joydebpur to Ishwardi. The railway operates 42 trains on this 174-km stretch that connects Dhaka with the western region via Bangabandhu bridge.
Officials said a maximum of 22 trains could travel smoothly on this route.
The Bangladesh Railway has taken a project to construct dual-gauge double lines from Joydebpur to Ishwardi.
DG Shamsuzzaman said the new bridge would put an end to the delays and improve communications.
The bridge will improve efficiency and operation of more trains would generate revenue.
The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday gave conditional approval to the project aimed at improving the capacity and safety of rail communications across the river to the northwestern and southern regions.
The project now costs an estimated Tk 12,950.6 crore, which is 33 percent more than the amount mentioned in Development Project Proforma approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in December 2016.
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge Construction Project was supposed to be implemented between January 2016 and December 2023. But the purchase committee approval comes more than three years after the Ecnec approved it.
After yesterday’s purchase committee meeting, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said they gave “conditional approval” because of the significant increase in the project cost.
Its work order will be issued once the Ecnec approves the revised DPP.
“The project will proceed as per the revised DPP. But we have given the approval so that they don’t have to come to us [purchase committee] again,” the minister said.
According to the project document, the new 4.8 km bridge will be built some 300 metres upstream to the Bangabandhu bridge.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to launch the physical work of the dual-gauge double-track bridge in March, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Shamsuzzaman told The Daily Star.
The bridge would be constructed under two packages. Japan will provide the lion’s share of the cost in soft loans.
A joint venture of the Obayashi Corporation, TOA Corporation and JFE would construct the eastern part of the bridge at the cost of Tk 6,801 crore while another joint venture of the IHI and SMCC companies will work on the western part involving Tk 6,148 crore, officials said.
All the companies are from Japan.
WHY COST ESCALATED?
Asked, the finance minister said the reason behind the delay and the increased cost would be known after the revised DPP was placed before the Ecnec.Sources at the railways and finance ministries said the original DPP was approved with an estimated cost, and the actual cost was supposed to be fixed after completion of the detailed design.
After approval of the DPP in 2016, consultants financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) carried out different studies, reviewed feasibility and prepared a detailed design, documents show.
New technologies like Steel-Pipe-Sheet-Pile foundation, Direct Rail Fastener, Weathering Steel, Head Hardened Rail, and Derailment Guard will be used for the first time in Bangladesh.
Since the officials did not know that these technologies would be used, they could not make a proper estimation, another official said.
As per the loan contract signed in June 2018, Japan would provide the total fund for constructing the bridge and rail lines, while Bangladesh will bear the administrative expenditure, customs duties and VAT, the official said.
WHY A NEW BRIDGE?
The delay in schedules of trains that travel between the capital and northwestern and southern regions has been a common occurrence for years.The delays are mainly due to restrictions on load and speed on the existing bridge, which has rail lines and roads.
With a top permitted speed of 20kmph, it takes about half an hour for a train to make it from the station on the east side to the one on the west, officials said.
Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan on several occasions said the problems plaguing train schedules on the routes could not be solved until the rail bridge and the dual-gauge double lines between Joydebpur and Ishwardi were constructed.
There is a single line from Joydebpur to Ishwardi. The railway operates 42 trains on this 174-km stretch that connects Dhaka with the western region via Bangabandhu bridge.
Officials said a maximum of 22 trains could travel smoothly on this route.
The Bangladesh Railway has taken a project to construct dual-gauge double lines from Joydebpur to Ishwardi.
DG Shamsuzzaman said the new bridge would put an end to the delays and improve communications.
The bridge will improve efficiency and operation of more trains would generate revenue.
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