Rail project deadline nears, work only 20pc complete
Train services on the Sylhet-Chhatak railway line remain suspended, although trains were expected to resume by the end of August or early September.
Due to the slow pace of renovation work, the current project period is set to expire on August 23, while only around 20 percent of the work has been completed. Project officials have sought a 10-month extension to complete the remaining work.
Residents of Chhatak and Khajanchigaon are hoping the extension will allow the long-awaited train service to resume. Hundreds of farmers will then once again be able to travel to Sylhet city with vegetables and agricultural products, which could also help ease pressure on goods transportation and contribute to reducing market prices.
The Sylhet-Chhatak railway line was opened in 1954 as a metre-gauge route mainly to transport heavy goods and passengers connected with Chhatak Cement Factory, the paper mill and stone quarries.
Over time, it also became an important transport route for farmers. Farmers from Banglabazar, Khajanchigaon and surrounding areas of Chhatak used to travel by morning trains carrying vegetables and other agricultural products, sell them in Sylhet city and return home in the afternoon. This allowed city residents to buy fresh produce and household goods at relatively affordable prices.
The devastating floods of 2022 caused extensive damage to around 12 kilometres of the 33-kilometre railway line, including sections of the railway embankment and tracks. The already deteriorated line subsequently became unusable, and train services remained suspended for a long period.
On January 2, 2025, the Procurement Advisory Council Committee of the interim government approved the renovation of the damaged metre-gauge track on the Sylhet-Chhatakbazar section. The renovation and rehabilitation work was undertaken at an estimated cost of around Tk 230 crore.
Four bids were submitted after tenders were invited for the project. Following completion of the tender process, Mir Akhtar Hossain Limited was selected as the responsive lowest bidder recommended by the Tender Evaluation Committee and was given responsibility for implementing the project.
An 18-month period was set for completion. The current project period is due to expire on August 23, while project stakeholders said work had remained largely suspended for about four months because of the monsoon season.
On May 9, State Minister for Road Transport and Railways Habibur Rashid (Habib), MP, visited Sylhet by train to inspect the region’s railway communication system and ongoing development projects.
During the visit, he held a brief meeting with project stakeholders at the Sylhet office of Mir Akhtar Hossain Limited near Sylhet Railway Station and inquired about the progress of the Sylhet-Chhatak railway renovation work. He urged the stakeholders to complete the project as quickly as possible so that residents of the Sylhet region would not continue to suffer because of the prolonged suspension of train services.
According to sources at Mir Akhtar Hossain Limited, the Sylhet-Chhatak railway line stretches for 33 kilometres and includes 10 culverts. Work on four culverts has already been completed, while casting work on the fifth is nearing completion. Partial work has also been carried out on several of the remaining culverts.
There are three railway stations under the project—Khajanchigaon, Chhatak and Afzalabad. Although modernisation work has begun at all three stations, there has been little significant progress.
The contractor said only around 20 percent of the station modernisation work has so far been completed. Around 60 workers are currently engaged in implementing the railway renovation and rehabilitation project.
Overall, only around 20 percent of the project has been completed. Earthwork has been finished along approximately 13 kilometres of the route, while work is continuing on another 10.5 kilometres.
Soil-filling work has not yet started along the remaining 9.5 kilometres. Progress on the installation of new sleepers, reconstruction of damaged rail tracks, ballast work and station modernisation also remains limited.
Rails and other track-related equipment worth around Tk 110 crore are expected to be procured from China. The contractor said the installation of sub-ballast, ballast and track could be completed within about three months after the necessary materials arrive.
Yar Ali, a resident of Kalaruka Union No. 4 in Chhatak upazila, said passengers were facing serious difficulties because of the closure of the Sylhet-Chhatak train service. He said that previously passengers could travel from Chhatak to Sylhet for only Tk 12 by train, but they now have to spend Tk 80 to Tk 120 on road transport.
The journey also takes more than twice as long. He added that accidents frequently occur on the damaged roads, while seriously ill patients, children and elderly passengers face particular hardship.
He said residents of Chhatak, Gobindaganj and Khajanchigaon want the railway renovation completed quickly and train services restored.
Abul Kalam Azad, project manager of Mir Akhtar Hossain Limited, said the company had applied to the authorities for a 10-month extension of the project period. He said officials had assured them that work would resume with the target of completing the project within the extended period once the monsoon season ends.
Azad also said materials worth around Tk 5 crore had already been unloaded at Chattogram port and were expected to reach Sylhet within a few days. However, he could not provide supporting documents regarding the procurement when asked.
Md Anar Mahmud, team leader of the consultant for the Sylhet-Chhatak Railway Renovation and Rehabilitation Project, said implementation had been slow partly because of financial difficulties faced by the contracting company. He said the contractor had repeatedly been urged to accelerate the work.
He also expressed concern that the project could face cancellation if progress does not improve.
