Switzerland has shown keen interest to invest in the country’s railway sector. Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard said this.
He expressed such interest while paying a courtesy call to Railway Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan at Railway Bhaban in the capital on Thursday.
The Railway Minister said, “Bangladesh Railway is being reorganized. Factories are being modernized, new engines and coaches are being brought in, and stations are being renovated. In order to build a balanced means of communication, Prime Minister formed a separate ministry in 2011. Since then various projects have been undertaken for the development of railway sector. The railway sector is being developed on the basis of a 30-year master plan. Plans have been made to bring the whole country under the railway network.”
“The railway system of Bangladesh is divided by the river Jamuna. Bounded by broad gauge in the west and meter gauge in the east. We are working towards bringing the whole railway system in broad gauge. All single lines will be converted to dual gauge in phases. Rail connections are being made with various ports. There were eight interchange points with India before independence. At present five have been launched and the remaining three will be operational soon.”
Read more: Railway starts palm plantation programme
“Last week I visited Germany, France and Spain in Europe. We want to use European technology in our railways. Switzerland can invest in our country in various fields including technology. In that case, both countries will be able to move forward by signing a memorandum of understanding and identifying areas,” added Sujan.
Railways ministry secretary Md. Selim Reza, Director General of Bangladesh Railways Dhirendranath Majumder, Additional Secretary Bhuban Chandra Biswas, Political, Economic and Cultural Affairs Counselor of the Swiss Embassy Thomas Baumgartner were present on the occasion.