Chattogram or Dhaka’s tourists can travel to Cox's Bazar in luxury tourist coaches when the railway work will be completed.
Railway authorities have already decided to import 54 tourist coaches. These coaches will have special facilities for tourists.
The proposed 54 coaches include six-meter gauge tourist coaches, 13 air-conditioned sleeper cars, 22 air-conditioned chair cars, seven power cars, air-conditioned dining car and guard brake.
It is learned that after the construction of Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar railway line, the route will be kept open by ordinary train. When the tourist coach arrives, the tourist car will be introduced as a special train on this railway.
The Ministry of Railways wants to move ahead with the issue in advance so that it is possible to introduce tourist coaches as soon as the railway is constructed.
It is learned that these luxurious tourist coaches will be procured under the project ‘Procurement of 54 Broad Gauge Passenger Carriage for Operating Tourist Train for Tourists of Cox’s Bazar’.
The total cost for 54 coaches in this project has been estimated at Tk 441 crore 51 lakh and 48 thousand. The cost of importing each coach will be 8 crore and 18 lakh taka. Usually, the average cost of importing each meter gauge coach is Tk 2 to 3 crore.
The proposal has already been sent to the Planning Commission from the Railway Ministry. The government will provide 96 crore 12 lakh and 15 thousand tk out of the total cost of the project. The remaining 345 crore 39 lakh and 33 thousand tk has been offered to China as project loan.
The project has been included in the annual development program for the fiscal year 2020-21.
