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Bangladesh Railway

autonomous · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Md. Afzal Hossain
Role
Director General
Annual budget
৳119,440,000,000
Staff
24500
Established
1971
Legal basis
The Railways Act, 1890 (Act No. IX of 1890), inherited at independence and retained as the governing statute; Bangladesh Railway operates as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Railways, which was constituted as a separate ministry. First rail line opened 15 November 1862 on the Darshana-Jagoti broad-gauge route (53.11 km).

Bangladesh Railway is managing a large post-Eid operational normalisation following five special train pairs run for Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 (March 20-21); dealing with the aftermath of the April 1 Habiganj freight-train derailment (probe committee report pending); awaiting formal implementation of the March 2026 ministerial announcement of a 25% fare concession for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities; and managing the start of delivery of 200 RITES coaches (EIB-funded, USD 111.26 million) contracted in May 2024. The ministry's FY2025-26 development budget was nearly halved to Tk 7,715 crore as mega-projects wind down and Indian line-of-credit projects stall.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

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.

Sources