Bangladesh’s rail system is getting a gender reveal
Because nothing says 'modern infrastructure' like a 20-year delay and a track that can’t decide what it is.
The story
Bangladesh Railway is planning to integrate all Chattogram Port terminals into a rail network to improve logistics and support export goals, with studies funded by the World Bank.
Source: wwd.com
Our reading
The plan to integrate Chattogram Port’s terminals into a single rail network is the kind of project that makes you wonder if the railway is trying to build a system or just a very long, very slow group chat. The key detail? The existing tracks are metre-gauge, which is like using a child’s train set in a world of freight giants. To fix this, they’re converting the main line to dual gauge—basically giving the tracks a gender reveal party. The whole thing is part of a 2050 goal to get rail to handle 20% of freight, which is a lot to ask of a system that’s been stuck in planning limbo for two decades. But at least they’re not trying to make the whole country a runway.
