Trains to have 20kmph speed limit inside Lawachara

In the first such move, trains running through the Lawachara National Park in Moulvibazar have been asked to run at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour to ensure wildlife can pass without hindrance.

Moulvibazar Divisional Forest Officer of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury confirmed the matter to The Daily Star.

"After we wrote a letter to the railway ministry over the matter, the ministry sent a letter to Bangladesh Railway on January 29 regarding the decision. Today we received a copy of the letter," he said.

In the letter sent to the director general of Bangladesh Railway, the ministry asked for necessary measures to be taken to keep the speed limit of all trains running on this route below 20kmph to prevent the death of wildlife on the railway line on Lawachara National Park and to ensure they can cross easily.

Rezaul Karim said, "If the railway department implements this decision, it will be possible to save the lives of the animals in the national park. This is the first such initiative in Bangladesh."