A rehabilitation project for Bangladesh Railway’s flood-damaged Sylhet-Chhatak Bazar metre-gauge line has reached only 20 to 25 percent completion after its August 23, 2026 deadline, leaving renewed train services uncertain. The roughly 34-kilometre route has been closed for nearly four years following severe flooding in 2022. The project, approved in 2025, was intended to restore the section between Sylhet and Chhatak Bazar.
The project’s estimated cost was Tk217.34 crore, financed jointly by the government and the Asian Development Bank. Contractor Mir Akhter Hossain Limited signed a contract on February 3, 2025, valued at about Tk199 crore. Officials said work at 85 of 96 piling points has been completed, while earth filling and culvert construction continue. Old rails along the route have been removed, but installation of new tracks and other key work remains delayed.
Local residents and businesspeople said slow or halted work has caused frustration, while the route’s closure has increased the time and cost of transporting goods by road. The contractor cited adverse weather, heavy rainfall, political conditions and delays importing materials. It said Tk29 crore was recently allocated and requested a one-year extension to finish the remaining work.
২০২২ সালের ভয়াবহ বন্যায় ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত সিলেট-ছাতক রেলপথ সংস্কারে ২১৭ কোটি টাকার বেশি ব্যয়ে মেয়াদ শেষ হওয়ার পরও কাজের অগ্রগতি হয়েছে মাত্র ২০ থেকে ২৫ শতাংশ। এদিকে প্রায় চার বছর ধরে ট্রেন চলাচল বন্ধ রয়েছে। এ সময় চুরি হয়ে গেছে রেললাইনের লোহার পাত ও
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