The Mahanagar Express begins operating on the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route today, October 26, extending its existing Dhaka-Chattogram service to the country’s leading tourism destination.
The extension will let passengers from intermediate stations, including Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, and Feni, travel directly to Cox’s Bazar without changing trains.
Two other services, the Cox’s Bazar Express and the Tourist Express, currently operate between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar. These are non-stop services, except for scheduled stops at Chattogram and Shah Amanat International Airport railway stations. The Mahanagar Express will stop at multiple stations along the extended route.
According to Bangladesh Railway, the train will leave Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka at 8:30pm daily, reach Chattogram at 2:40am and arrive at Cox’s Bazar Iconic Railway Station at 6:00am the following day.
On the return journey, it will leave Cox’s Bazar at 9:00am, stop at Chattogram at 12:10pm, and reach Dhaka at 6:30pm. The service will remain suspended on Sundays for its weekly break.
The train will have 16 coaches, with seating capacity increased from 700 to 736.
Bangladesh Railway sets fares by seat category and route. The minimum fare from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar is Tk 685 for a Shovon Chair seat, while the highest fare for an air-conditioned seat is Tk 1,570. For the Cox’s Bazar-Chattogram section, fares range from Tk 240 to Tk 547.
On its journey from Dhaka, the train will stop at Airport, Narsingdi, Bhairab Bazar, Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria, Akhaura, Kasba, Cumilla, Laksam, Nangalkot and Feni stations. The stop at Kumira station in Sitakunda has been cancelled following the route extension.
Tickets are available through the Rail Sheba app and website, as well as at railway station counters. Tickets for the October 26 journey from Dhaka have already gone on sale, while bookings are open for the return journey from Cox’s Bazar on October 27.
The direct service is expected to make rail travel easier for passengers from several districts and create further business opportunities for hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses in Cox’s Bazar.
Zainal Abedin, manager of Cox’s Bazar Iconic Railway Station, confirmed the launch of the service. He said two daily train journeys would operate between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar under the Mahanagar Express service.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Cox’s Bazar Life Photo
