Dhaka’s rail link with north, south resumes after 8 hours

Rail communication of Dhaka with northern and southern districts has been restored after over eight hours of disruption following the derailment of an intercity train in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna.

The service resumed around 9:00pm after a relief train from Ishwardi salvaged the derailed carriages, our Rajshahi staff correspondent reports quoting Abu Hena, additional signal and telecommunication officer, Bangladesh Railway (west zone).

Three carriages of Dhaka-bound Chitra Express derailed while entering Muladuli Rail Station around 1:30pm, Md Moniruzzaman, station master of the rail station, told our Pabna correspondent.

A total of eight intercity trains and the trans-boundary train Maitree Express got stranded at different stations across Rajshahi division, the official said.

The disruption of rail service caused immense sufferings to around 3,500 of passengers with approximately 400 to 450 passengers on board of each of the intercity train, our correspondents report.

Apart from the intercity trains, a number of freight trains and mail trains also got stranded following the derailment.

“There was excessive pressure of passengers as Saturday being the first day of the week and the disruption has caused sufferings to them,” Ashim Kumar Talukder, a divisional manager of Bangladesh Railway, told The Daily Star.