A contract has been signed with the Indian company RITES LTD. to procure 200 broad-gauge passenger carriages for Bangladesh Railway at a cost of Tk 1,205 crore and 54 lakhs.

Railway Minister Md. Zillul Hakim said, "Bangladesh Railway currently has 2016 carriages and 3,095 wagons. Recently, the railway network has been expanded in the southern part of the country after the opening of the Padma Railway Bridge. Alongside supplying new trains to the southern region, there is a need to replace old coaches with new broad-gauge passenger coaches. When providing carriages according to the time mentioned in the contract, it would be good for us if two sets of carriages are given in the next two months and the rest are scheduled."

The minister made these remarks yesterday at the contract signing ceremony with Bangladesh Railway and the Indian company RITES LTD. at the railway office in the capital.

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The project will be funded by the Government of Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The carriages will be made of stainless steel, equipped with air conditioning on the roof, automatic air brake system, and environment friendly features. The carriages will be integrated with the trains of the southwestern region of the country after the completion of this project, expressing hope for new horizons in passenger transportation on Bangladesh Railway.

Humayun Kabir, Railway Secretary, Sardar Sahadat Ali, Director General of Bangladesh Railway, Rahul Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of RITES LTD., Sanjay Kumar Pankaj, Additional Member of the Production Unit of Indian Railways, and Michal Krejza, Head of Corporation of the European Union, were present at the contract signing ceremony.

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