British company DP Rail signed a MoU with the Bangladesh Railway for the development of the proposed 240 km Dhaka – Payra railway. The line will link the capital city of Bangladesh with Payra port, a planned new deep sea port.
Under MoU, DP Rail has the exclusive right to develop plans to design, finance, build and operate the railway. The document enables DP Rail to proceed with the detailed planning of the railway and to enter into detailed discussions with Payra Port and the users of the port and railway.
DP Rail is working with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) as its principal civil engineering contractor. The two companies have an agreement whereby CRCC will be its partner to undertake the civil engineering construction works for the railway. 
The new railway forms a vital part of the Payra Port project, which is designed to provide a new deep water port at the top end of the Bay of Bengal, capable of handling large container ships of 8,000 containers capacity or 120,000 tonnes of cargo.
DP Rail expects the freight train service to start, prospectively, in 2024 and, in the first full year of operation is projected to handle approximately 2m TEU with frequent daily trains running at 100km/hr, and with volumes rising to almost 4m TEU pa by 2030. Container trains will be around 1 km in length. Additional trains will convey coal and other bulk products.
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