United News of Bangladesh

The rail communication on Dhaka-Mymensingh route has been suspended as the engine of a Netrokona-bound train went out of order near Dhala station in Mymensingh. Nazmul Haq Khan, superintendent of Mymensingh Rail Station, said the Netrokona-bound ‘Mohua Commuter Train’ left Dhaka’s Kamalapur Station in the morning. Read: Train communication with Dhaka restored following derailment But the engine of the train went out of order around 2 pm, while heading towards Netrokona’s Mohonganj, he said. A relief train from Keowatkhali Loco Shade of Mymensingh was on the way to the spot.

The much-sought train service connecting Khulna and Dhaka via the Padma Bridge officially began operations on Tuesday.  The inaugural journey of the Jahanabad Express started from Khulna Railway Station at 6:00 AM with an expected arrival time of 9:45 AM at Dhaka Railway Station. The new service, part of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project, is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Khulna and Dhaka, marking a major milestone in Bangladesh’s rail connectivity. An official ceremony at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka was attended by  Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Railways, who inaugurated the service.  With the launch of two passenger trains—the Jahanabad Express (Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna) and the Ruposhi Bangla Express (Benapole-Dhaka-Benapole)—train journey in the region is now faster and more efficient.  Much awaited train service to begin on Benapole-Dhaka route via Padma Bridge Tuesday The Ministry of Railways said the new route via the Padma Bridge will cut travel time to just under four hours.  Travellers said this is a significant improvement compared to the current travel time of 9 hours 30 minutes from Dhaka to Khulna via Tangail and Ishwardi, and 7 hours 35 minutes to Benapole via Rajbari. Train Schedules The Jahanabad Express (Train No. 825) departs Khulna at 6:00 AM and arrives in Dhaka at 9:45 AM. On its return journey, Train No. 826 departs Dhaka at 8:00 PM and reaches Khulna at 11:40 PM. Along the way, it stops at Noapara, Singia Junction, Lohagora, Kashiani Junction, and Bhanga Junction stations. Similarly, the Ruposhi Bangla Express (Train No. 828) departs Dhaka at 10:45 AM and reaches Benapole at 2:30 PM. On its return, Train No. 827 departs Benapole at 3:30 PM and arrives in Dhaka at 7:10 PM, with stops at Jessore Junction, Narail, Kashiani Junction, and Bhanga Junction. Both trains are equipped with 12 coaches, accommodating 768 passengers.  Advance tickets are available online and at designated station counters since Saturday (Dec 21).  The trains will operate six days a week, with a weekly break on Mondays. New Dhaka-Khulna train services via Padma Bridge to launch on Dec 24 Boost for Regional Travel The inauguration of this service heralds a new era for rail travel in Bangladesh, offering passengers a faster, more comfortable alternative for long-distance journeys. The new trains are expected to enhance connectivity, reduce travel costs, and boost trade and tourism between Dhaka, Khulna, Benapole, and surrounding regions.

Two new passenger train services will be launched from Dhaka to Khulna and Benapole via Kashiani Junction through Padma Bridge on December 24. The Ministry of Railways announced this in a press release on Wednesday. 'Jahanabad Express' on Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna route and 'Ruposhi Bangla' Express on Benapole-Dhaka-Benapole route will travel regularly, keeping a one-day break in a week. New commuter train service launched on Dhaka-Gazipur route Benapole can be reached from Dhaka via Khulna in just four hours by this newly launched train. Dhaka-Khulna trains took eight hours via the Padma Bridge rail link, as they passed through Bhanga junction, Poradah, Faridpur, and Rajbari. Older route via the Jamuna Bridge took 14 hours. Mother with 8-month-old infant jumps in front of train in Gazipur; both dead The new trains are expected to significantly reduce travel time. Passengers will reach Khulna or Benapole from Dhaka in approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. Tickets will be available starting December 21 at 8 pm through station counters, online platforms, and mobile apps.

Train service between Dhaka and the northern regions of Bangladesh was halted following the derailment of two bogies of the Burimari Express at Muladuli Railway Station in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna. The incident occurred early this morning (May 09, 2024). Sundarbans fire: Expert committee to visit affected area Thursday The derailment took place as the train was passing through the Muladuli station area. Railway authorities are currently on the scene, working to re-rail the affected bogies and clear the tracks. Rajshahi Railway Station Manager Abdul Karim confirmed the derailment, and said that efforts are in progress to restore service as quickly as possible.

Commuter train services on Chilmari Ramna Bazar-Rangpur and Kaunia-Ramna Bazar routes in Kurigram district resumed on Tuesday, two years after suspension of the operation.  State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain inaugurated the ‘Chilmari Commuter train’ at Ramna Bazar Station amid cheers from the locals. Read: Commuter train services resume on Kurigram-Ramna railway The train communication on the route was suspended on March 8, 2020, citing Covid-19 pandemic, shortage of drivers, manpower and station master. The resumption of the service came as a great relief for the locals who endured communication difficulties for past two years. The government introduced train communication from Chattogram to Chilmari on August 2, 1968 and there were eight stations in the 43-km railway in Kurigram. Four trains were in operation since then. Read:Teen wearing headphones killed by speeding train in Kurigram In 2002, the railway authorities suspended the operation of three trains and since then one train from Parbatipur-Ramna route was active. Khalidunnesa, divisional traffic superintendent of Bangladesh Railway, Lalmonirhat, said hoped that resumption of the operation will reduce commuters’ sufferings.

The rail link of the country with Natore was disrupted for over five hours following a collision between a truck and a train at Tebaria level crossing in the northern district early Monday. Ashok Chakraborty, stationmaster of Natore Railway Station, said a truck drove through the level crossing around 3:30 am and collided with the Kurigram Express train from Dhaka. Read:Derailment: Rail communication between Khulna and rest of the country suspended At least five intercity trains got stuck at various stations, including Natore station, following the accident, Ashok said. He said the train service with the district was restored around 9 am after the truck was removed from the rail line. However, there was no report of any casualty in the accident.

The Dhaka-Cox's Bazar railway service is still some way off seeing the light of day, with the project to build the railway line for it already way behind schedule and authorities having no choice but to grant the extension. Although originally scheduled to be completed by December 2022, the project has now been rescheduled with a new date of completion: June 2024. Earlier this year, Railway Minister Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujan seemingly paid only lip service to the project, when he said that work on the railway line to Cox's Bazar would be completed by December 2022, after which direct trains from capital Dhaka to Cox's Bazar would be launched. Read:Much-loved train journeys to Cox’s Bazar likely in 2 years Reflecting on the reasons behind work on the project falling so far behind schedule, Project Director (PD) Mofizur Rahman told UNB that they couldn’t run a full-fledged work schedule due to the Covid-19 situation. Also, the railway line’s equipment and materials did not arrive on time, so the tracks could not be built. Asked when the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar train service can be launched, the PD said, “Even if the work is completed in June 2023, it will take another year to start." Once the physical work is completed, they must take time for various other things including trial runs. “That is why we hope that it can be launched by June 2024,” said PD Mofizur. Read Govt to prepare master plan for roads, highways Train line fittings, stones and other goods were imported from different countries including India and China. But during the pandemic they faced various difficulties in bringing the materials where they needed to, causing delays. “But the project cost will not increase,” Mofizur assured. Project challenges According to the Ministry of Railways, the physical work of the project has been hampered as the necessary relocation of overhead transmission towers of PGCB, BPDB and REB from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar still remains to be completed. Besides, as part of the extended public holidays announced by the government to disrupt the chains of transmission of Covid-19, the physical work of the project was halted for a significant period from March, 2020. When the Covid situation worsened again earlier this year, again they faced difficulties over importing project materials. Read: Rail operation on Padma Bridge may start from Dec 2022: Minister Project objectives If this project is implemented, a safe, comfortable and affordable communication system will be developed for tourists and local people. There will also be significant cargo movement on the line. Fish, salt, paper raw materials, forest and agricultural products can all be easily transported at a convenient cost. There will be nine stations along the 128-km rail route, located at Satkania, Lohagara, Chakaria, Dulahazara, Eidgaon, Ramu, Cox's Bazar Sadar, Ukhia and Ghumdhum. It will feature modern computer-based interlock signals and digital telecommunication system.

The Ministry of Railways has decided to operate 38 pairs of intercity and 20 commuter/freight trains from August 11 following the government’s announcement to ease the ongoing lockdown. The ministry in a circular on Sunday said it has decided to operate passenger trains on all of its routes with a few exceptions following health guidelines until further directive. The ministry, however, said intercity trains Ekta Express, Sundarban Express, Nilsagar Express and Rangpur Express will not operate from Dhaka on August 11, while Tongipara Express will not operate from Gobra. Read: Govt eases lockdown from Aug 11 with some guidelines to follow It said 50% tickets of intercity trains will be sold online and through mobile apps while the remaining 50% will be sold from Monday 8 am. In the case of any negligence in maintaining health rules while operating the trains, legal action will be taken against the authorities concerned, the ministry said. The movement of passenger trains has remained suspended across the country since July 23 after the government re-imposed the stringent lockdown amid a massive surge of Covid cases. Read: Lockdown or no lockdown, life is the same in Dhaka The passenger trains were allowed to move for eight days from July 15-22 across the country keeping 50% of the seats empty apparently to facilitate the movement of people ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division issued a circular saying that the government has decided to allow all public transport to operate at full capacity across Bangladesh from August 11.

Passenger train services between Dhaka from rest of the country will be suspended from Tuesday midnight as a part of an attempt to isolate the capital amid a surge in the corona infections, the Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujon said. However freight trains will run remain normal, the minister told UNB. He said rail communication will remain normal in areas free from lockdown. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 76 more deaths, 4,846 fresh cases Earlier in the day, authorities suspended train services on several routes following strict restrictions in some districts to stem the spread of coronavirus. According to a notice issued by the Railways Ministry, two train services in Gazipur-Turag Express and Kaliakair Commuter Train were suspended from 6 am on Tuesday for nine days. No inter-city train will stop in Gazipur during the period. Also read: Train services on several routes suspended Besides, services of Tungipara Express train on Gopalganj-Rajshahi route , Nakshikatha Express on Khulna-Rajbari route, and Rajbari Express train on Rajbari-Bhanga-Rajbari route have been suspended. All Khulna-bound passenger trains have been asked to halt operation at Jashore stoppage. The suspension of services will remain in force until June 30 or the lockdown period announced for some districts.

As Bangladesh battles with the Covid-19 pandemic, its health authorities recorded 28 more deaths and 1,354 cases in 24 hours until Sunday morning. The infection rate rose to 8.90 percent from Saturday’s 8.41 percent while the mortality rate stood at 1.57 percent, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Read:17 India returnees test positive for Covid-19 The new cases of infections were recorded after testing 15,205 samples. With the fresh deaths during the period, the coronavirus fatalities rose to 12,376 in the country. The total caseload now stands at 7,89,080 with the new ones, the handout added. Lockdown extended The government has extended the ongoing lockdown by another week until May 30 allowing public buses to run at half of their capacities considering the current coronavirus situation in the country. The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard on Sunday. All concerned, including passengers, will have to maintain health protocols like wearing masks, says the circular.  Read: Bangladesh extends lockdown until May 30 Besides, hotels and restaurants will be allowed to keep open with half of half of their capacities.  The authorities concerned have been asked to take necessary steps in this regard. As coronavirus cases kept on growing at an alarming rate since mid-March, the government had imposed a ‘loose’ nationwide lockdown for one week from April 5 as part of its move to contain its spread.  Later, a ‘stricter’ lockdown was announced from April 14 to 21. Then the lockdown was extended several times considering the situation. Train services set to resume Twenty-eight pairs of trains will run from Monday across the country following the suspension of the services for over a month as part of the government restrictions on people’s movement to stem the coronavirus transmission. Read:Train services to resume at half capacity from Monday The authorities concerned have been asked to keep half of the train seat vacant for ensuring a physical distance, said an official release issued by the Ministry of Railways on Sunday. Passengers can purchase train tickets online, the release added.