Govt prioritises Sylhet rail connectivity improvement: Minister

State Minister for Road Transport and Highways Division and Railways Ministry Habibur Rashid today said the government is giving special importance to improving rail connectivity in Sylhet. 

"Sylhet is among our priorities. The Prime Minister has already approved various development activities in this region. Sylhet is also being given importance in railway development plans," he said.

He made the remarks while talking to journalists after visiting Sylhet Railway Station this morning. 

He said the expansion of broad gauge and dual gauge railway lines in Sylhet is currently at the survey stage. "Implementation of these projects would bring major changes to the railway communication system in the future," he added. 

Referring to frequent schedule disruptions in meter gauge rail services in Sylhet due to locomotive shortages and single-line tracks, Habibur Rashid said, "The government is working to ensure maximum services. If an engine breaks down or an accident occurs anywhere, the entire schedule gets disrupted because many places still have single-line tracks."

We are working to overcome these problems, the state minister added.

"We do not want to remain confined to discussing problems only but we want to solve them," he added.

The state minister also said field-level supervision has been intensified to ensure there is no negligence in duties despite existing limitations.

He asked railway officials to visit the respective zones to directly observe the service situation on a regular basis and warned that negligence in duty would not be tolerated under any circumstances, reports BSS.