Bangladesh Railway is laying the groundwork to bring every terminal at Chattogram Port into an integrated railroad network, part of the logistics buildout the country needs to get anywhere near its goal to export $100 billion in goods by 2030.

With the initiative, the railway aims to shift freight off the congested road corridor and onto rail, which the country has called for in its national logistics policy. According to project officials, the port lacks adequate rail links with all five of its terminals, including those under construction.

The railway will implement the World Bank-financed preparatory project, which funds studies and designs rather than construction. An executive committee of the country’s National Economic Council approved the 93.5 crore taka (roughly $7.6 million) project, with completion slated for March 2027, according to state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

The studies cover areas within the Dhaka-Chattogram freight corridor starting at Faujdarhat, the junction where trains leave the main line for the port, and run through the port’s rail yard. The terminals covered include the port’s general cargo berth and three container terminals, Chittagong, Patenga and New Mooring, as well as the Laldia and Bay terminals that are both currently in development.

Currently, rail’s share of import-export container traffic throughout the country has fallen below 4 percent from nearly 10 percent, with 16 locomotives needed daily for freight against three to five available, according to Bangladeshi business publication Bonik Barta.

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