Online Desk  :   The country’s largest ‘Jamuna Rail Bridge’ was formally opened on Tuesday morning, marking a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s railway connectivity. A train entered the bridge at 12:15PM on Tuesday (March 18) and it reached the Sirajganj section in three and a half minutes. Railways Secretary Md Fahimul Islam inaugurated the bridge around 11:15AM by unveiling a plaque, cutting a ribbon and releasing balloons at the Ibrahimabad Station area on the eastern side of the bridge. Previously, the Jamuna River had left Sirajganj and the northern districts isolated, depriving them of adequate development.

Massive Infrastructure and Investment : The 4.8 km-long Jamuna Rail Bridge features 50 pillars and 49 spans. With additional railway embankments and loops, the total railway track installed spans 30.73 km. Initially, the project was budgeted at Tk 9,734.07 crore, but the cost later increased to Tk 16,780.96 crore. Of this, 27.60% was financed domestically, while 72.40% was funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Japanese company OTG and IHI Joint Venture implemented the project, with contributions from five major Japanese contractors. Over 7,000 workers from Japan, Vietnam, Nepal, Australia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh worked for four years to complete the bridge. On February 12, commercial passenger train operations commenced on the bridge when the intercity Silk City Express crossed from Rajshahi to Dhaka at a speed of 50 km/h in six minutes. From Tuesday, trains will operate at full capacity on both up and down lanes, running at speeds of 120 km/h.