Dhaka, Aug 14 (IANS) India has resumed supplying passenger coaches to Bangladesh after nearly a decade, with the first batch of 19 new-generation broad-gauge passenger coaches being transported through the Darshana border, local media in Dhaka reported on Friday.

Manufactured at the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala city of India’s Punjab, the coaches mark the first delivery under Bangladesh Railway’s procurement of 200 modern passenger coaches.

The new coaches are likely to enhance the efficiency and reliability of rail services in the southwestern region, especially those operating through the Padma Rail Bridge, according to a report in Bangladesh’s newspaper 'Daily Sun'.

The 19 coaches are the first shipment under a procurement initiative launched in 2022 to acquire 200 broad-gauge passenger coaches. The project has an estimated cost of Bangladeshi taka Tk 1,704.66 crore, of which around Tk1,331 crore is expected to be financed through an European Investment Bank (EIB) loan.

Bangladesh Railway and India’s state-owned RITES Limited signed an agreement at Rail Bhaban in Dhaka to procure 200 broad-gauge passenger coaches at a cost of about Tk 1,205.54 crore. The procurement is being financed jointly by the Bangladesh government and the European Investment Bank.

“Under the agreement, RITES is responsible not only for supplying the coaches but also for providing technical assistance related to design, spare parts and training. The contract allows 36 months for supply and commissioning, followed by a 24-month warranty period. The procurement, however, did not move forward immediately after the project was approved. More than two years passed between the project’s approval in March 2022 and the signing of the contract in May 2024,” Daily Sun report detailed.

“After the prolonged process, RCF Kapurthala has now manufactured the first batch of 19 coaches. The consignment comprises three AC sleeper coaches, three AC chair cars, 11 non-AC chair cars and two power cars,” it added

The latest shipment marks the return of Indian passenger coach supplies to Bangladesh, nearly a decade after 120 coaches were delivered to Bangladesh Railway in 2015–16.

According to the report, Bangladesh Railway has been grappling with an ageing passenger coach fleet for years. It noted that the procurement of 200 new coaches is aimed at replacing outdated stock, enhancing passenger services and improving rail connectivity, particularly in the southwestern region following the opening of the Padma Bridge rail link.

--IANS

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