<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday inaugurated simultaneous operation of trains on three newly built rail lines to ease the transportation of passengers and cargo on the Rooppur, Shasidal and Joydebpur routes.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She inaugurated the 69.20 km lines virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 11-km-long rail line for Rooppur has been constructed by the science and technology ministry at the cost of Tk 335 crore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The construction work started in April 2018. It is a dedicated rail line for transportation of cargo to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As part of the project, a new rail station was constructed near Hardinge Bridge. Besides, a 26.52-km-long dual-gauge rail line was set up, including siding and loop line from Ishwardi by-pass station to Rooppur plant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 11km-long dual-gauge double-line from Tongi to Joydebpur will help railway authorities to increase the number of train trips on the Dhaka-Tongi-Joyebpur route, which links the entire west zone of Bangladesh Railway.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second line was built at the cost of Tk 1,300 crore under an Indian-funded project.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The sections of 14km-long dual-gauge double-line on the Dhaka-Chattogram route are Kashba to Mandabagh and Shashidal to Rajapur.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The construction was done under a project funded by Asian Development Bank. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>