Photo : BSS

By Rostom Ali Mondol

DINAJPUR, June 12, 2026 (BSS) - The government has allocated Tk 134 crore to rehabilitate the railway line linking the Madhyapara Hard Rock Mine in Dinajpur with the national rail network, paving the way for the resumption of stone transportation by rail after nearly 15 years.
 
Officials concerned said the initiative is expected to substantially reduce transportation costs, ease the growing stockpile of extracted stones and enhance the mine's overall operational efficiency.

Assistant Executive Engineer of Dinajpur Parbatipur Railway Division Abu Jafar Md Rakib Hasan confirmed the development to BSS on Thursday.

He said the decision followed a recent meeting at the mine involving State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and two other cabinet members, where ways to expedite the transportation and marketing of stockpiled stones were discussed with mine authorities.

The meeting decided to ensure transportation of sold stones through the railway network to make the operation more cost-effective and sustainable.

Chief Engineer (West Zone) of Bangladesh Railway Md Aminul Hasan said the mine authorities have already completed an agreement with the relevant agency for implementation of the project.

"The rehabilitation work will begin shortly. Necessary steps are being taken to appoint contractors through a tender process and restore the railway line in a durable manner," he said.

He noted that once the railway link becomes operational, buyers will be able to transport stones from the mine across the country at significantly lower costs for use in infrastructure and development projects.

"The initiative will help reduce the huge stockpile of stones at the mine and contribute to its long-term development," he added.

Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Railway's Pakshi Zone A.F.M. Masud-ur Rahman said a project worth around Tk 134 crore has been undertaken to rehabilitate the railway track from Bhabanipur to the Madhyapara Mine on the Parbatipur route.

"The line has remained out of operation for nearly 15 years. We have already inspected the route and initiated the necessary preparatory work for its rehabilitation," he said.

According to railway and mine officials, although government directives stipulate that 80 percent of the mine's stone output should be transported by rail, the closure of the line has forced traders to rely on road transportation, resulting in significantly higher costs.

Managing Director of Madhyapara Granite Mining Company Limited Engineer Md Amzad Hossain said transporting stones from Madhyapara to Dhaka by rail costs only Tk 700 to Tk 800 per tonne, compared to Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,700 per tonne by road.

"The suspension of rail services has led to considerable financial losses and has adversely affected stone sales," he said.

The Madhyapara Hard Rock Mine, operated by Madhyapara Granite Mining Company Limited under Petrobangla, was discovered in 1973-74. A 14-kilometre railway line was constructed to connect the mine with the national rail network, and stone transportation by rail began in 2009.

However, rail operations were suspended in 2011 after 70 railway sleepers were stolen from several points between Bhabanipur Railway Station and the mine.

Since then, portions of the railway infrastructure have deteriorated, nearly five kilometres of rail tracks have reportedly been stolen and parts of railway land have been encroached upon. Eleven related cases are currently pending with Parbatipur Railway Police Station.

General Manager (Administration and Services) of the company Syed Rafizul Islam Ritu said the mine currently has a stockpile of around 14.67 lakh tonnes of stones worth approximately Tk 427 crore.

The stock includes about 390,000 tonnes of boulders valued at Tk 150 crore for river training works, 950,000 tonnes of blast stones worth Tk 250 crore for railway projects and additional stone reserves valued at around Tk 100 crore.

He expressed optimism that reopening the Madhyapara-Bhabanipur railway line would significantly cut transportation costs and help accelerate the disposal of accumulated stone stocks.

Marketing official Raihan Kabir said Bangladesh's annual stone demand stands at approximately 2.16 crore tonnes, much of which is met through imports from India, Bhutan, Vietnam and other countries.

He said improved rail transportation facilities would strengthen the competitiveness of locally produced stones, reduce import dependency and help increase government revenue.

Authorized stone dealer Md Jalal Uddin said stone sales are conducted through 165 approved dealers and not directly to end-users.

He said demand has slowed due to the completion or suspension of several mega infrastructure projects, but expressed confidence that the stockpiled stones would find ready markets once large-scale government development projects regain momentum.