ADB provides $688m to help Bangladesh upgrade railway line

DHAKA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladeshi government on Monday signed loan agreements totalling $688 million to upgrade a 35‑kilometre railway line in the country’s southeastern region.

The Manila‑based lender said the project aims to establish seamless connectivity along Bangladesh’s Dhaka‑Chattogram‑Cox’s Bazar corridor, significantly boosting regional transport efficiency and economic growth.

Bangladesh’s Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, and ADB country director for Bangladesh, Hoe Yun Jeong, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective sides at a ceremony in Dhaka.

“The project will enhance the resilience, reliability and efficiency of rail services between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar, facilitating a crucial shift from road to rail transport,” Jeong said.

As a component of the Trans‑Asia Railway network, ADB said the Dhaka‑Chattogram‑Cox’s Bazar corridor currently accommodates 32% of passenger traffic and 55% of freight, underscoring the importance of enhanced rail infrastructure for economic integration, optimising logistics and driving development in Bangladesh’s southeastern region and beyond.

By RSS/Xinhua