Bangladesh Railway

Bangladesh Railway is currently focused on modernizing aging infrastructure and addressing critical shortages of locomotives and spare parts to improve operational efficiency.

Bangladesh Railway operates as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Railways (established as a separate ministry in 2011 when transport functions were split). The organisation traces rail history in Bangladesh to 15 November 1862 (Darshana-Jagoti broad-gauge opening), but as an independent sovereign entity Bangladesh Railway dates from 1971. Legal basis is the inherited Railways Act 1890 (Act IX of 1890), which bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd lists as in force. The network spans approximately 3,600 km (1,225 km broad gauge, 1,600 km metre gauge, remainder dual gauge); the Jamuna Bridge (1998) physically connected the previously isolated eastern and western networks. Director General Md. Afzal Hossain assumed office 8 December 2024 (appointment notification issued 28 November 2024 by Ministry of Railways), confirmed by bdnews24 and The Financial Express; he previously served as Additional DG (Infrastructure) and Project Director, Padma Bridge Rail Link Project. staff_count is 24,500 (actual filled posts against 47,637 sanctioned posts, per TBS News citing official railway data) -- the sanctioned-minus-filled gap of ~23,000 is a documented operational constraint. annual_budget_bdt is 119,440,000,000 (Tk 11,944 crore), the Finance Adviser's proposed FY2025-26 allocation per BSS; the revised (cut) figure of Tk 7,715 crore is noted in recent_activity/budget_actions. April 1 Habiganj derailment date confirmed by The Daily Star, TBS, Jago News24, and Dhaka Tribune across multiple contemporaneous reports. RITES contract date (20 May 2024) and value (USD 111.26 million / Tk 1,205 crore) confirmed by Urban Transport News, TBS, The Financial Express, The Print (ANI), and Railway Gazette International. 25% fare discount announcement date (3 March 2026) confirmed by The Daily Star, TBS, BSS, Prothom Alo, and Dhaka Tribune; as of late April 2026 the metro rail authority began rolling back the student component -- implementation status remains partial/pending. Mymensingh intercity announcement (14 May 2026) sourced solely from BSS wire (bssnews.net/others/387006) -- single source flagged; content aligns with documented railway policy direction. Verification based on 2+ independent primary sources for all events except the Mymensingh announcement.