Ver 202208

Japanese ODA Loan
Ex-Ante Evaluation(for Japanese ODA Loan)
South Asia Division 4, South Asia Department
Japan International Cooperation Agency
1.

Name of the Project

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Country: The People’s Republic of Bangladesh (Bangladesh)
Project: Project for the construction of dual gauge double line between
Joydebpur-Ishurdi section (Engineering Service)
Project Site: Gajipur District (5.26million), Tangail District (4.04 million),
Shiraganj District (3.36 million), Pabna District (2.91 million), NatoreDistrict (1.86 million) (Census, 2022)
Loan Agreement: March 29, 2023

2.

Background and Necessity of the Project

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Current State and Issues of the Railway Sector/Area and the Priority of theProject in Bangladesh
The Eighth Five Year Plan (FY2021-FY2025) (8FYP) states the importance ofaddressing over-dependence on road transportation and shifting from roadtransportation to other transportation modes such as railways, although current
share of rail transport is marginal (only 5.1% in passenger transport and 6.5% in
freight transport respectively as of 2019). According to 8FYP and Railway MasterPlan (MP), the capacity of rail transportation in Bangladesh is not sufficient tomeet the increasing transportation demand because most of the rail lines remain
single tracked, track gauge is not standardized all over the country, etc. With solid
economic growth of Bangladesh and neighboring countries, the transportation
demand in Bangladesh for both freight and passenger has been growing at about
8% per year, and the government of Bangladesh plans to strengthen railtransportation capacity by taking measures such as double-tracking of trunk raillines.
The railway section between Joydebpur and Ishurdi, which is although still
single tracked, is a part of trunk line between Dhaka and cities in the western partof Bangladesh, and the section also connects with the line from/to the North
Bengal region. Based on such importance and high transportation demand, inaverage 36 trains run on the section between Joydebpur and Ishurdi every day,which far exceeds the track capacity (25 trains per day) and deteriorates the levelof service (such as frequent delays) due to repeated layovers caused byVer 202208

alternating operations.
The “project for the construction of dual gauge double line between
Joydebpur- Ishurdi Section” (the Project), aims to enhance railway capacity by
double tracking of the existing rail between Joydebpur and Ishurdi, thereby
contributing to improved connectivity within Bangladesh and with neighboringnations. When the Project is implemented, the entire section from Dhaka to
Kolkata will be double tracked and the transportation capacity between Dhaka
and the western part of Bangladesh, as well as neighborring countries, will beenhanced, which contributes economic development all over the country
including local economies. The Project is the most prioritized project in MP, alongwith the Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project which is currently underconstruction funded by Japanese ODA loan.
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Japan’s and JICA’s Policy Cooperation Policy and Operations in theRailway Sector
The Country Development Cooperation Policy for the People's Republic ofBangladesh (February 2018) aims to contribute to the development ofhigh-quality transportation and traffic infrastructure in order to promote theefficient movement of people and goods and to eliminate regional disparities.
In addition, the JICA Country Analysis Paper for the People's Republic ofBangladesh (March 2019) identifies the importance of enhancing inlandtransportation capacity with an awareness of the linkage with the surrounding
nations and establishing a rational and balanced transportation mode. The
Project is, thus, consistent with this analysis and policy as well as contribute toone of goals, "Building a Global Network", set in the JICA Global Agenda (June2022) policy in the field of transportation.
Furthermore, the Project will also contribute to the “Pursuit of economicprosperity” in the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIP)” from theperspective of strenghthening intra-regional connectivity.
JICA has implemented ODA projects, “Dhaka-Chittagong Railway
Development Project” (FY 2007), ”Jamuna Railway Bridge Constuction Project”(FY 2016 (I), FY 2020 (II)) and else, in the railway sector of Bangladesh.
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Other Donors’ Activities
ADB, a major donor to Bangladesh’s railway sector, has been supporting
conversion to dual gauge, privatization of Bangladesh Railway (BR) in someareas, and update of fare system.
Indian government has been supporting the procurement of rolling stock andVer 202208

the construction of new lines and bridges, while the Chinese government has
been supporting the construction of new lines mainly.
3.

Project Description(1)

Project Description① Project Objective
The objective of the Project is to enhance railway capacity by double trackingof the existing rail between Joydebpur and Ishurdi, thereby contributing toimproved connectivity within Bangladesh and with neighboring nations.
The loan for Engineering Service (E/S) (the Loan) covers consulting service fordetailed design, tender assistance, and else to implement the Project smoothly.
② Project ComponentsA) Construction of double line (about 170km: including building bridges),
track work, signaling and communications facilities, renovation andnew construction of stationsB) Consulting service: Detail design, tender assistance, construction
supervision, environmental and social consideration, else.
③ Project Beneficiaries (Target Group)
Direct beneficiaries: Total users of the subject section (approx. 17 millionannually) (Based on Feasibility study prepared by Bangladeshgovernment)) (Details will be confirmed in the preparatory survey andfinalized at the time of the main loan procedure.)(2)
Estimated Project Cost
5,781 million Yen (Japanese ODA loan: 4,228 million Yen)
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Schedule
March 2023-March 2026 (37 months). The Project completion is definedas the completion of all disbursements.
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Project Implementation Structure
1)
2)
3)
4)

Borrower: The Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Guarantor: N/A
Executing Agency: Bangladesh Railway
Operation and Maintenance System：Bangladesh Railway(5)
Collaboration and Sharing of Roles with Other Donors
1) Japan’s Activity
A dedicated railway bridge is under construction over the Jamuna river inthe middle of the section covered by the Project fuded by Japanese ODA
loan, and the Project will double track the subject line connecting with theVer 202208

east and west sides of the bridge. It is expected to further enhancetransportation capacity by the Project.
2) Other Donors’Activity: N/A(6)
Environmental and Social Consideration① Category: A② Reason for Categorization: The Project falls into the railway sector(likely to have significant adverse effects due to its characteristics) under
the JICA Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations(published in April 2010).
③ Environmental Permit: the Environmental Clearance Certificate for theProject has been issued. The details will be confirmed in the preparatory
survey.
④ Anti-Pollution Measures: Since impacts on air quality, noise, vibration,else are expected during construction, the details of undesirable impacts
on the environment and society will be assessed and measures to avoid ormitigate them will be confirmed in the preparatory survey and E/S.
⑤ Natural Environment: The target areas of the Project does not include
the sensitive areas of national parks or else. The details of undesirable
impacts on the environment and society will be assessed and measures toavoid or mitigate them will be confirmed in the preparatory survey and E/S.
⑥ Social Environment: Involuntary resettlement due to the Project isexpected, and legal procedures for land acquisition have already been
partially initiated. The executing agency intends to proceed with theprocedures in accordance with the resettlement plan being preparedbased on the Bangladesh domestic procedures and JICA Guidelines, thedetails will be confirmed in the preparatory survey and E/S.

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⑦ Other/Monitoring: Details of specific monitoring items, methods, etc.
will be confirmed in the preparatory survey and E/S. In accordance with
3.2.1.(5).2 of JICA Guidelines, an environmental review of the Project isschedule to be conducted by the time of the appraisal of the main loan.
Cross-Sectoral Issues: The Project may contribute to climate change
measures (mitigation measures). The discussion with the executive
agency will be implemented and the amount of GHG emission reductions
will be estimated in the preparatory survey.
Gender Category:【To be confirmed】■Projects with Gender Mainstreaming
Needs Survey and Analysis (Gender Informed: GI)

Ver 202208<Details of Activities/Reason for Categorization>: Details of specific needs,activities, and indicators during the procedure of the main loan.
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Other Important Issues: N/A
4.

Targeted Outcomes(1)
Quantitative Effects
1) Outcomes (Operation and Effect Indicators)
Indicator(Reference)Baseline

Target (20XX)

Without the Project(Actual value in[2years after projectimplementation*

202X)

completion]

Passenger (Annual

5,696

pax-km, Million)
Freight (Annual gross

2,575

tonne-kilometre, Million)
Passenger train (car/ day)48

Freight train (car/day)10

Trip time (minutes）

322**

To be set by the time of the appraisal of themain loan*Source: Feasibility study prepared by Bangladesh government in 2019 (To beconfirmed in the preparatory survey)** Schedule time in the current timetable(2)

Qualitative Effects
Smoothing transportation within Bangladesh and with neighboring countries
by increasing railway transportation capacity, easing road congestion, andimoproving regional disparities, etc..

(3)Internal Rate of Return
To be set by the appraisal of the main loan

5.

External Factors and Risk Control

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Preconditions: N/A
External Factors: N/A

6.

Lessons Learned from Past Projects

The results of the ex-post evaluation of “Railway Double Tracking On JavaSouth Line (I) (II)” (evaluation year 2010), a Japanese ODA Loan project for theRepublic of Indonesia, revealed that the constrction was completed promptly

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while ensuring the normal train operation by switching of numerous processes
between the existing and newly constrcting tracks. In the Project, the operation of
the existing line will be secured as well, and the efficiency of the construction
work will be examined in the preparatory survey and E/S.
7.

Evaluation Results

The Project is consistent with the development issues and development policiesof Bangladesh, as well as the assistance policies and analyses of theGovernment of Japan and JICA. Through the implementation of the double
tracking, the Project will enhance railway transportation capacity, thereby
contributing to the achievement of SDGs Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation andInfrastructure) and 13 (Climate Action). Therefore, the necessity for JICA tosupport the Project is substantial.
8.

Plan for Future Evaluation(1)

Indicators to be Used
As indicated in Sections 4.
(2)
Future Evaluation Schedule
Ex-post evaluation:2 years after the project completion
END