Another train to be added on Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route - Prothom Alo English

The railway authorities have taken an initiative to introduce another train on the Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route.Collected from FacebookThe railway authorities have taken an initiative to introduce another train on the Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route. The Mahanagar Express, which currently operates on the Dhaka–Chattogram route, is being extended to the tourist city of Cox’s Bazar. Railway officials said the train may start operating up to Cox’s Bazar from the first week of October.

Although trains currently run from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar, they do not stop anywhere along the route except Chattogram. Local residents and influential politicians have long been pressing for the trains to stop at various stations between Dhaka and Chattogram. The railway authorities have taken the initiative to extend the Mahanagar Express to Cox’s Bazar, giving passengers from those stations the opportunity to travel directly to the tourist city.

On 1 August, Railway Minister Habibur Rashid visited the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar railway route. During the visit, he told journalists that plans were under way to increase the number of trains operating between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar and between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar in response to passenger demand.

He said there were currently four pairs of trains operating to Cox’s Bazar from Dhaka and Chattogram, and the plan was to increase the number to five pairs. Preparations were being made to achieve this, he said.

Sujit Biswas, chief commercial manager of the Eastern Railway, told Prothom Alo that there was strong passenger demand for the Cox’s Bazar route. In response to that demand, the Mahanagar Express operating on the Dhaka–Chattogram route was being extended to Cox’s Bazar.

Preparations were under way to launch the service from the first week of October. This would allow passengers to travel to the tourist city more comfortably and safely, while also increasing railway revenue, he said.

At present, two pairs (four trains) of non-stop intercity trains operate between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar, while another two pairs (four trains) operate between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.

According to Railway Working Time Table-54 (WTT), the Mahanagar Express currently leaves Kamalapur station in Dhaka for Chattogram at 9:20 pm and arrives in Chattogram at 3:30 am. After leaving Kamalapur, the train stops at 12 stations, including the airport, where passengers can board and get off.

Apart from the airport, the Mahanagar Express stops at Narsingdi station in Narsingdi ; Bhairab Bazar station in Kishoreganj; Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria, Akhaura and Kasba stations in Brahmanbaria; Cumilla, Laksam and Nangalkot stations in Cumilla; Feni station in Feni; and Kumira station in Chattogram.

As there are no direct trains from these districts to Cox’s Bazar, passengers have to travel to the tourist city by road. If the Mahanagar Express is extended to Cox’s Bazar, passengers from these areas will be able to travel there directly by train.

Railway officials said the Mahanagar Express timetable would be revised once it begins operating to Cox’s Bazar. Under the proposed schedule, the train would leave Kamalapur in Dhaka at 8:30 pm and arrive in Cox’s Bazar at 6:00 am. The return train would leave Cox’s Bazar for Dhaka at 9:00 am. The journey would take around nine and a half hours each way.

The Cox’s Bazar Express, which currently operates on the Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route, leaves Kamalapur at 11:00 pm and arrives in Cox’s Bazar at 7:20 am. The Tourist Express leaves Kamalapur at 6:15 am and reaches Cox’s Bazar at 2:40 pm.

A senior railway official told Prothom Alo that preparations were under way to operate the Mahanagar Express from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar. The authorities were assessing what obstacles or problems might arise from extending the service to Cox’s Bazar. They were also considering how cleaning and maintenance of the train would be managed in Cox’s Bazar.

Meanwhile, even as preparations are under way to extend the Mahanagar Express from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar, the process of introducing better-quality coaches, including air-conditioned (AC) coaches, on intercity trains operating on the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar route has stalled.

Two pairs of intercity trains currently operate on the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar route. All four trains are operated using a single rake—a combination of an engine and multiple coaches. As a result, the schedule is frequently disrupted. Passengers also suffer because of delays.

Passengers complain that although demand on the route has increased, all the coaches on the trains are old and of poor quality. Many passengers, in particular, are losing interest in travelling by train on this route because there are no AC coaches or cabin facilities. As the tourism-dependent route lacks quality services, its potential to generate revenue is also not being fully utilised.

According to data from the railway’s transport department, the Saikat and Probal Express each operate with 16 coaches. There had been plans to replace the old coaches and add one AC cabin, one non-AC cabin, three AC chair coaches (Snigdha), eight Shovon chair coaches, one power car and two guard brakes to each train. Each train has around 750 seats.

Railway officials said there was currently no possibility of replacing the coaches on the existing trains with better-quality coaches, including AC coaches. The coaches may be replaced when new coaches are imported, they said.