Sylhet, Aug 28 (V7N) — The project to rehabilitate the railway line from Sylhet to Chhatak Bazar has officially ended, but only around 20 per cent of the work has been completed, leaving local residents frustrated over the delay.
The approximately 34-kilometre railway line was constructed in 1954 to connect Sylhet with Chhatak Bazar. It was once an important route for transporting limestone and other goods from Chhatak to different parts of the country. The railway also provided an important means of transport for people from Sunamganj travelling to Sylhet and other parts of Bangladesh.
The railway line was severely damaged at several points during the devastating floods of 2022. Since then, all train services on the route have remained suspended. During the prolonged closure, valuable sleepers and iron rails were reportedly stolen from different sections of the railway.
In response, Bangladesh Railway undertook a rehabilitation project at an estimated cost of Tk 217 crore 34 lakh 4 thousand 369. However, despite the project reaching its scheduled completion date on Sunday, Aug 23, only 20 per cent of the overall work had been completed.
According to sources, Bangladesh Railway launched the project in 2025 to rehabilitate the nearly 34-kilometre metre-gauge railway line between Sylhet and Chhatak Bazar after train services had remained suspended for about four years.
The project, titled “Rehabilitation of the Bangladesh Railway Sylhet–Chhatak Bazar Section (Metre-Gauge Track), Severely Damaged by the 2022 Floods”, was approved at a meeting of the Government Purchase Advisory Council Committee on Jan 2, 2025. The project was funded by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Contractor Mir Akhter Hossain Limited (MAHL) was awarded the rehabilitation work. A contract was signed with the company on Feb 3, 2025. Although the total project cost was estimated at more than Tk 217 crore, the contract value with the contractor was Tk 199 crore.
The scheduled project completion date was Aug 23, 2026. However, only 20 per cent of the rehabilitation work had been completed by the deadline.
Of the 96 piling points included under the project, work on 85 has reportedly been completed. Despite progress on these piling points, the overall rehabilitation work remains far behind schedule.
The failure to complete the work within the stipulated timeframe has sparked frustration among local residents, who have been waiting for the railway service to resume after years of suspension.
The delay has also raised concerns over when the long-awaited railway connection between Sylhet and Chhatak Bazar will finally be restored.
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