The government has taken a massive move to upgrade the railway network of the country as within the land communication system, the railway sector is considered as the safest, comfortable, affordable and environment-friendly means for transporting passengers and goods. Considering the importance of railways as a means of public transport in meeting the demands of the country's large population , the government has been taking a range of steps to ensure balanced and integrated development of the sector.  Read: Special cattle train starts on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route As part of the 30 year revised master plan (2016-2045) of Bangladesh Railway, Cox's Bazar, Mongla Port, Tungipara, Barisal, Chattogram Hill Tracts and other parts of the country will be brought under the railway network. The plan spans the period earmarked for Bangladesh, having graduated to become a middle-income nation, to take the next step and becoming a prosperous nation (Vision 2041). Under the master plan, 230 projects will be implemented in six phases at a cost of Tk. 553,662 crore (5.5 trillion)- nearly the size of the entire national budget passed recently for the current fiscal (2021-22).  According to an official document, the government is going to construct 798.09 km of new railway lines, 897 km of dual gauge/double railway lines parallel to existing railway lines. Read Railway launches luggage van to transport vegetables It will also rehabilitate 886.51 km of railway lines, construct nine important railway bridges, and construct level crossings.