Another train is set to operate from Dhaka to Khulna via Padma Bridge from Friday.

As part of a final test run, the “Nakshikatha” commuter train left Khulna at 12:05 am on Friday and is scheduled to reach the capital on Friday morning.

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The commuter train will leave for Dhaka at 11:30 pm every day from Friday (December 1) and will reach Dhaka at 10:10 am, according to Khulna Railway Station Master Masud Rana.

There are about 600 seats in the six carriages of the train. Commuters can travel to Dhaka from Khulna, a distance of almost 500 kilometres, by this train for only 210 taka.

The “Nakshikatha” commuter train will run seven days a week and will have stoppages at 25 stations, according to station master Rana.

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He said NRSR Trading, a private company, is operating the train on lease. The train used to run from Khulna to Goalanda as a mail train.

Earlier on November 1, the Sundarbans Express train started its operation from Khulna to Dhaka via the Padma Bridge Rail Link.

The train leaves for Dhaka at 9:45 pm on six days a week, except Tuesday. Earlier, this train used to operate through the Jamuna Bridge.

Travel time has reduced by at least two hours since Sundarban Express started operating through Padma Bridge. The minimum fare for this train is 500 taka.

However, Sheikh Ashraf Uz Zaman, president of the Greater Khulna Unnayan Sangram Coordination Committee, said, “It takes only four hours to go to Dhaka by bus through the Padma Bridge. But the train takes longer than that. If the direct railway line is established, the people of Khulna will get the full benefit of the Padma Rail Bridge.”

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Babul Howlader, member secretary of the Khulna Civil Society, also echoed Ashraf Uz Zaman’s call for a direct railway line. 

“Many people want to go to Dhaka from Khulna by train, as it is more comfortable to travel by train than by bus. But it takes more time than the bus to go by train through the Padma Bridge. For this reason, it is imperative to establish a direct railway line on Khulna-Dhaka route.”