Bangladesh Railway (BR) is going to open the newly built Jamuna Railway Bridge fully on March 18, a big step towards enhancing rail connectivity in the country. But passengers riding trains over the bridge will have to pay extra fares from March 19, as a new pontage charge—a bridge construction and maintenance toll—will be applicable.
Fare hike details
Since more than 30 trains run between Dhaka and the western region through the 4.8-kilometer bridge, the fare hike will affect a significant number of commuters, The Daily Star reports. Here’s what extra passengers need to pay on the Dhaka-Rajshahi route:
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– Non-AC Chair: Tk 45 (INR 32.31)
– AC-Chair: Tk 80 (INR 57.44)
– AC-Seat: Tk 95 (INR 68.21)
– AC-Berth: Tk 140 (INR 100.52)
Other routes will also see similar fare adjustments based on the new toll.
Why the fare increase?
According to The Daily Star report, The Jamuna Railway Bridge, the longest dedicated railway bridge in Bangladesh, was constructed under a Tk 16,781 crore (INR 12048.66 crore) project with funding from Japan. To recover the construction and maintenance costs, BR has decided to introduce the new pontage charge.
Constructed across the Jamuna River, this double-track, dual-gauge bridge connects Sirajganj and Tangail, improving the railway link between Dhaka and northwestern districts.
The project is likely to address long-standing speed and weight limitations on the older Jamuna Bridge. Earlier, it could only accommodate trains at 20 km/h and did not have the capacity for heavy goods trains.
With the new bridge operational:
– Train travel will become faster, making travel time from Dhaka to the northern/western area around 2 hours shorter.
– Transportation of goods through trains—sourced from across borders as well—will improve.
– Travel will be smoother for passengers, resulting in fewer delays and schedule losses.
– The bridge will be an important connector of SAARC, BIMSTEC, SASEC, and the Trans-Asian Railway Network. This will facilitate regional trade and connectivity.
BR started trial operations on February 12, running passenger trains in one lane of the two lanes of the bridge. With the two tracks now ready for open operation, the aged railway tracks of the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge will be dismantled.
The fare increase might not come as a pleasant surprise to the passengers. But the smoother, quicker, and more efficient railway service is likely to be a breakthrough for the transport sector of the country.
