The first places connected by rail will be several religious sites. Opposition parties paralyzed cities across Bangladesh on March 23 with a day-long strike. Some 5,000 will return in the first batch to their homeland near Chittagong. The 20-point agreement they negotiated with the government includes cash grants to be used to build houses and buy a pair of bullocks. Bangladesh's main port, Chittagong, needs help.
Labor unrest is common and the port has a reputation for high handling charges.
It features in Lloyd's insurance reports as a place where piracy is on the rise - despite more naval patrols. The only good news is that, with the decreased volume, ships' turnaround time decreased. The coordinator of the effort, the U.K.'s TCM Group, says it is looking for other backers to join. The funding is ready. But Steel does not want to name his investors because, despite the government's enthusiasm, they are wary of Bangladesh's notorious political instability and reluctant to be tied too publicly to the scheme.