The incredible new railway bridge costing £1.2bn that’s the longest in entire country

, one of , has completed an incredible construction of a which is now the longest in the country.

Jamuna Railway Bridge stretches 4.8 kilometres across the Jamuna River, one of the three main rivers of the country.

The structure connects the cities of Tangail and Sirajgang becoming an important corridor to connect railway networks to the country’s capital .

Prior to the new development, the previous Jamuna Bridge saw around 44 trains pass through each day that could only run with a speed limit of 20km/h (12mph).

It was a single-track railway, meaning it took longer for trains to cross the bridge, resulting in a number of distruptions. 

Now, the new railway bridge features a dual-gauge double track that will reduce the travel time between Dhaka and Bangladesh’s northern and western regions by two hours, making a huge difference to passengers experiences.

The number of trains that will use the bridge will increase to 68, including high-speed freight trains, that will be able to travel at a speed of 120 km/h (74mph).

Construction started in August 2020 and the bridge was set to be called Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge, but authorities revealed towards the end of last year that the bridge will be known as the Jamuna Railway Bridge.

According to , the project, in collaboration with Japan, cost Tk 167.81 billion which is equivalent to approximately £1.2 billion. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided 72% of the construction cost for the longest dual-gauge double-track in Bangladesh.

The Jamuna Railway Bridge is expected to transform Bangalesh’s interconnectivity and improve the country’s rail infrastructure. Test runs for the trains were conducted last November.

At the trial Project Director Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman said: ” “Today, the trial trains operated at speeds of 60 kilometres per hour, followed by 80, 90, 100, 110, and finally 120 kilometres per hour,” before work was completed the following month.

The start of commerical operations are expected to start this January, enhancing transport links for the country’s massive population of 173 million residents.