The extended Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar service of the Mahanagar Express arrived in the coastal tourist city on Tuesday for the first time, carrying 965 passengers and making rail travel to the popular destination more accessible to people from across the country.
The train reached Cox’s Bazar Iconic Railway Station at around 7:30 am on October 27, where station officials welcomed the passengers. It departed for Dhaka at 9:50 am with 824 passengers on board.
Mousumi, a tourist who travelled to Cox’s Bazar on the train, said the journey was wonderful. “I was mesmerised by the natural beauty outside the window as the train arrived in Cox’s Bazar in the morning. The overall train journey was also a great experience,” she said.
Tourist couple Ehsan and Sumaiya said travelling to Cox’s Bazar together by train was a unique experience. They enjoyed the scenery along the route and found the train journey more comfortable than the long road trip. They added that the new service would make planning trips to Cox’s Bazar easier.
Railway Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam inaugurated the extended Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route of the Mahanagar Express at Kamalapur Railway Station in the capital on Monday night. At the event, he called for administrative measures and broader social resistance to prevent crimes such as ticket black-marketing and stone-throwing at trains.
Zainal Abedin, station master at Cox’s Bazar Iconic Railway Station, said the train had left Dhaka on Monday night and reached Cox’s Bazar at around 7:30 am on Tuesday after stopping at several stations. He said the service was extended to the route to help manage increased passenger demand during the tourist season.
Under the new Bangladesh Railway schedule, the Mahanagar Express is set to leave Dhaka at 8:30 pm daily and arrive in Cox’s Bazar at 6:00 am the following day. On its return journey, it will depart Cox’s Bazar at 9:00 am and reach Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka at 6:30 pm. The train’s weekly off day is Sunday.
The new service will let passengers from intermediate areas, including Narsingdi, Bhairab, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, and Feni, travel directly to Cox’s Bazar by train. Relevant stakeholders hope the service will make travel easier for tourists and boost the tourism industry, hotel and motel businesses, and the local economy.
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Mohammad Morshed
