NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi and PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh jointly inaugurated the 5.13 km Rupsha Rail Bridge, which is a key part of the 64.7 km Khulna-Mongla Port Broad Gauge Rail Project. Darshana Jardosh, Minister of State for Railways & Textiles, Government of India, Member of Parliament, Surat Lok Sabha shared this good news on her Twitter handle.
Bangladesh is a major pillar of India’s neighborhood first policy. Rupsha rail bridge is a part of the Khulna-Mongla port rail line project under the govt of India’s concessional line of credit extended to the govt of Bangladesh.
Rupsha Rail Bridge will help in enhancing people-to-people contact and facilitating regional economic integration.
Several efforts have been taken by both countries to enhance connectivity by building railways and waterways linkages.
The 5.13-km broad-gauge single-track railway bridge has been constructed by an Indian contractor EPC Contractor M/s L and T. The total project (Khulna-Mongla port rail line project) cost US$ 388.92 million while the cost of constructing the Rupsha bridge is US$ 169.26 million.
The bridge construction involved a huge of technology and also has additional features such as navigation fender piles upstream and downstream of the pier, for ensuring navigation safety in the river. The navigational clearance for the main bridge is more than 18 m from Standard High-Water Level (SHWL).
The bridge will greatly increase the connectivity of Mongla Port, the second largest port in Bangladesh, and provide the alternate root of maritime.
It will also allow other countries in the region to use the port and boost sub-regional development.
