Bangladesh Railway is working to build direct rail connections to existing and new terminals at Chattogram seaport, as the government seeks to shift more freight from roads to rails, speed up cargo evacuation and cut logistics costs. Read Here
The initiative aims to tie the country’s principal seaport more closely to the national rail network, giving importers, exporters and logistics operators an alternative to road-based container transport, particularly on routes between Chattogram and Dhaka. Improved rail access is expected to ease pressure on highways and speed freight movement to inland markets.
Chattogram Port handles a large share of Bangladesh’s international trade through facilities including the Chittagong Container Terminal, the New Mooring Container Terminal and the Patenga Container Terminal. Linking them to the railway would allow containers and other cargo to move inland with less reliance on trucks, and could give shipping lines, freight forwarders and cargo owners more dependable evacuation options.
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The plan fits wider efforts to build a multimodal logistics system that integrates port, rail and road transport.
Development of port-related infrastructure around the Bay Terminal is also part of the push to expand maritime capacity and improve the movement of goods through the country’s main trade gateway.
The report said rail could lower inland costs for large, consolidated consignments, ease congestion during periods of heavy cargo throughput and take trucks off highways. Rail freight can produce lower emissions per tonne-kilometre than road transport, depending on the energy source, load factor and operating conditions.
Delivery will determine the outcome, however. Railway capacity, locomotive and wagon availability, terminal handling equipment, scheduling, customs clearance and coordination among Bangladesh Railway, the Chittagong Port Authority, terminal operators and freight companies will all shape results. The report did not provide a cost, timeline or funding details for the project.