Bangladesh approves China-financed rail project

[Homo Sapiens]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...inanced-rail-project/articleshow/52101639.cms

Bangladesh approves China-financed rail project
IANS | May 4, 2016, 08.22 AM IST

China is financing the Padma Bridge rail link project in Bangladesh (Representative photo)

DHAKA: Bangladesh's highest economic policy-making body on Tuesday approved a multi billion-dollar China-financed project to develop a direct railway connectivity between the capital Dhaka and the southwestern parts of the country.

The "Padma Bridge rail link" project with a cost of 349.88 billion taka ($4.47 billion) was approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters after the meeting that Rail Division is entrusted to implement the project by 2022.

He said a total of 172 km new rail track would be installed under the project.

Chinese government will provide 247.49 billion taka as a loan for the project and the remaining expenditure would be borne by the government, he added.

Bangladesh's cabinet committee on economic affairs in March approved a proposal from the country's railway ministry to give the project to China Railway Group Ltd.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

After Sri Lanka and Maldives, China to fund major infrastructure project in Bangladesh
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/after-sri-...ajor-infrastructure-project-bangladesh-677345

• 
  May 4, 2016 14:12 IST
  By Mugdha Variyar

Bangladesh approved a 4 billion dollar rail project that will be partly funded by China, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. PICTURE: Md. Shahriar Alam, the State Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh (L), shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing Apr 27, 2016.Reuters


China will partly finance a $4.47-billion rail project in Bangladesh that will connect the capital city of Dhaka to the southwestern parts of the country. Bangladesh's National Economic Council on Tuesday approved the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project, which will be developed by China Railway Group Ltd.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting in Dhaka on Tuesday, according to the Dhaka Tribune. The Padma Bridge Rail Link Project will see the construction of a 215-km railway line, which Bangladesh Railway reportedly said would be ready by 2022.

The Chinese government will provide 247.49 billion taka as a loan for the rail project, while the rest will be provided by the Bangladeshi government, according to Xinhua.

The rail project in Bangladesh comes as the latest infrastructure investment by China in south Asian countries, which essentially fall under India's sphere of influence. Reports last month had suggested China might build a sea port in southern Maldives at the Gaadhoo island in the southern atoll. China is already funding the expansion of the international airport in Maldives.

Sri Lanka had given the green signal in March for a $1.4-billion China-backed project to build a port city in Colombo, said to be biggest-ever single foreign investment received by the South Asian nation.

Sri Lanka had last month also offered equity to Chinese firms in infrastructure projects in the island nation in return for waiving some of the billions of dollars of debt it owes Beijing.

Bangladesh, during the visit of Bangladeshi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam to Beijing last month, had also reportedly sought more funds from China for development projects, according to BDNews24hours.com. Dhaka and Beijing also signed an agreement last month to build the eighth Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, for which China will provide a fund of $50 million.

The rail project in Bangladesh comes as the latest infrastructure investment by China in south Asian countries, which essentially fall under India's sphere of influence.

Delusional bharati media again talking crap.

 

[UKBengali]

Good good news but the cost of 4 billion dollars for only 200km of railways seems a bit high.

 

[dray]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...inanced-rail-project/articleshow/52101639.cms

Bangladesh approves China-financed rail project
IANS | May 4, 2016, 08.22 AM IST

China is financing the Padma Bridge rail link project in Bangladesh (Representative photo)

DHAKA: Bangladesh's highest economic policy-making body on Tuesday approved a multi billion-dollar China-financed project to develop a direct railway connectivity between the capital Dhaka and the southwestern parts of the country.

The "Padma Bridge rail link" project with a cost of 349.88 billion taka ($4.47 billion) was approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters after the meeting that Rail Division is entrusted to implement the project by 2022.

He said a total of 172 km new rail track would be installed under the project.

Chinese government will provide 247.49 billion taka as a loan for the project and the remaining expenditure would be borne by the government, he added.

Bangladesh's cabinet committee on economic affairs in March approved a proposal from the country's railway ministry to give the project to China Railway Group Ltd.

Cost of building 172 km of ordinary rail tracks is $4.47 billion!!!!! Sounds like a damn loot!!!

 

[Hyperion]

Wah wah..... mochi-eaters nay to hindi aur cheeni dono ko loot liya........ wah bhai wah!

 

[Nilgiri]

Cost of building 172 km of ordinary rail tracks is $4.47 billion!!!!! Sounds like a damn loot!!!

Its ok, Bangladeshis like to trump up their nominal US dollar economy. Let them spend their forex however they want .

I mean have you looked at what the Russians are charging them for a basic nuclear power complex?

The less Bangladesh can provide internally through its industry, the higher the cost will be.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

Its ok, Bangladeshis like to trump up their nominal US dollar economy. Let them spend their forex however they want .

I mean have you looked at what the Russians are charging them for a basic nuclear power complex?

The less Bangladesh can provide internally through its industry, the higher the cost will be.

Do you know how many thousand family have to be compensated for the land acquisition for 215 km long line in BD? Railway requires a lot of land,and this line will go through densely populated area. Any land intensive project in BD is very costly and most of the money will go to rehabilitation.Today's 95 percent rail track in BD were laid during the british times. Then there were a lot of govt. land so building railway was very cheap unlike now. as we don't have large tract of barren depopulated state land like many other countries so it's going to be a lot more costly then those countries.

Although BD govt. highly corrupt,they don't throw away money to the foreign party easily.We built 4.8 km long Jamuna bridge for about 1 billion dollar including river control and associated infrastructure.Although 6.5 km Padma bridge will cost 4 billion,but road plus rail bridge as well as a lot of infrastructure will be built along side.Nuclear power plant is another thing,Very few countries today are willing to built this and BD had to agree the Russian terms,there's not much can be done if they charge extra money.I am not saying looting is totally absent.But it is not that pervasive level as you imagined.BD have lowest per capita foreign debt in south asia.If looting were that high then it would have been much higher than that.

 

[Nilgiri]

Do you know how many thousand family have to be compensated for the land acquisition for 215 km long line in BD? Railway requires a lot of land,and this line will go through densely populated area. Any land intensive project in BD is very costly and most of the money will go to rehabilitation.Today's 95 percent rail track in BD were laid during the british times. Then there were a lot of govt. land so building railway was very cheap unlike now. as we don't have large tract of barren depopulated state land like many other countries so it's going to be a lot more costly then those countries.

Good point. This is also a factor I explained earlier in our PPP discussion (why its depressed somewhat in Bangladesh case).

How much of the total cost do you think will be purely land acquisition costs for this project?

 

[Homo Sapiens]

@Nilgiri check out this.It says most of the money will be spent on land acquisition.

ECNEC clears Padma Bridge rail link project
UNB . Dhaka | Update: 17:53, May 03, 2016
http://en.prothom-alo.com/economy/news/103451/ECNEC-clears-Padma-Bridge-rail-link-project
0 Like

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved 'Padma Bridge rail link' project involving an estimated cost of Tk 34,988.86 crore in a bid to set up improved rail connectivity between the capital and the southwestern part of the country through the Padma Bridge.

The approval came from the 29th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with ECNEC chairperson and prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said a total of nine projects were approved today involving Tk 44,167.14 crore.

"Of the total project cost, Tk 19,265.85 crore will come from the national exchequer, Tk 152.24 crore from the organisation's own fund while Tk 24,749.05 crore from project assistance," he said.

Of the approved nine projects, eight are new and another revised one, he added.

The planning minister said Bangladesh Railway under the railways ministry will implement 'Padma Bridge rail link' project by June 2022.

Of the total project cost of Tk 34,988.86 crore, Tk 10,239.81 crore will come from the public coffer while Tk 24,749.05 crore as project assistance from the Chinese government on G-to-G basis.

He said a plan is there to introduce rail communications through the Padma Bridge simultaneously when it would be opened for traffic in 2018.

The total length of this new track will be 215.22 kilometers, including three-kilometer double line on Dhaka-Gendaria section.

Mustafa Kamal said this railway network through the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, having a provision of roadways on the upper deck and railways in the lower deck, will connect Jessore and then Khulna, Benapole, and Mongla through Mawa and Bhanga.

The railway track will go through seven districts of Dhaka Division-Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur and Gopalganj-and two districts of Khulna Division-Narail and Jessore.

The proposed project will bring four new districts - Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur and Narail-under railway network alongside improving the standard of passenger services and passengers' facilities.

The new railway track will go through Motijheel, Sabujbagh, Sutrapur, Demra, Keraniganj, Fatullah, Sirajdikhan, Srinagar, Louhajang and Janzira. Then the track will go through Shibchar, Bhanga of Faridpur, Nagarkanda, Saltha, Moksudpur, and Kashiani of Gopalganj, Lohagara, Narail Sadar, Bagpara and Jessore Sadar.

The planning minister said the Padma Bridge Rail Link would reduce the distance between Dhaka and Jessore; Dhaka and Khulna, and Dhaka and Darshana by 184.72 kilometers, 212.05 kilometers and 44.24 kilometers respectively alongside increasing the travel time.

The Padma Bridge Rail Link project has already been included in the list of Fast Track projects while Bangladesh Army in association with BRTC and Buet will be given as EPC for the project.

Asked whether there is too much cost involvement in the project, the planning minister said the proposed land acquisition would be the main reason for such cost involvement saying that the land cost is much higher in Bangladesh compared to countries like Thailand and Myanmar.

The other projects approved at the meeting are upgradation to four-lane from Jatrabari intersection to Mawa on Dhaka-Khulna (N-8) highway and separate land in Pachhar-Bhanga portion with Tk 6,252.29 crore, road widening from Ramnagar crossroad to Abalpur in Magura town on National Highway N-7 with Tk 91.94 crore, power distribution system development project, Sylhet with Tk 1,890.85 crore, construction of multipurpose cyclone shelter (2nd phase) in coastal and cyclone prone areas with Tk 533.16 crore, checking and control of animal diseases with Tk 77.49 crore, Uddyantattik crops research strengthening and technology expansion of field crops in char areas with Tk 70.56 crore, further infrastructure development of Khulna university with Tk 188.44 crore and 1000 kilowatt medium wave transmitter of Bangladesh Betar with Tk 73.55 crore.

Ministers and secretaries concerned were present at the meeting.

 

[bongbang]

Do you know how many thousand family have to be compensated for the land acquisition for 215 km long line in BD? Railway requires a lot of land,and this line will go through densely populated area. Any land intensive project in BD is very costly and most of the money will go to rehabilitation.Today's 95 percent rail track in BD were laid during the british times. Then there were a lot of govt. land so building railway was very cheap unlike now. as we don't have large tract of barren depopulated state land like many other countries so it's going to be a lot more costly then those countries.

Although BD govt. highly corrupt,they don't throw away money to the foreign party easily.We built 4.8 km long Jamuna bridge for about 1 billion dollar including river control and associated infrastructure.Although 6.5 km Padma bridge will cost 4 billion,but road plus rail bridge as well as a lot of infrastructure will be built along side.Nuclear power plant is another thing,Very few countries today are willing to built this and BD had to agree the Russian terms,there's not much can be done if they charge extra money.I am not saying looting is totally absent.But it is not that pervasive level as you imagined.BD have lowest per capita foreign debt in south asia.If looting were that high then it would have been much higher than that.

Plus in the southern BD its mostly riverine swamp land. So lots of embankment to do and lots of small bridge and culverts to build.

 

[Nilgiri]

BD have lowest per capita foreign debt in south asia.

1) Total debt is not the same as net debt.

2) Whats important is ability to service debt rather than the raw amount. I mean look at the GDP% debt of many developed countries. That by no means illustrates their economic viability or corruption.

But I agree with the rest of your points about the nuclear power plant. We also have to remember that almost every component will be fully imported....as I am unaware of any offset requirement that Bangladesh imposed or any industrial capacity it has in the first place to back such a requirement ...for say forging of large reactor vessels.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/inform...tors/heavy-manufacturing-of-power-plants.aspx

 

[Gonjo]

Any non Indian/Pakistani initiated Project will always get festive welcome.