Tourists will be able to travel to Cox’s Bazar in about eight hours from Dhaka by trains from December 1, almost three hours less travel time than buses, in a cost-effective way.
Bangladesh Railway (BR) has announced its plan to operate two pairs of trains initially on this 346-kilometre route. The new rail line will reduce both travel cost and time and increase the number of visitors to the popular tourist destination.
Railway Eastern Chief Commercial Officer (CCM) Mohammad Nazmul Islam said that they will increase the number of trains in future as the route hopefully will be a popular one.
Non-stop train which will leave Dhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Station every day at 10:30pm will reach Cox's Bazar Iconic Station at 6:40am after an overnight journey. It will have two stoppages at Dhaka airport and Chattogram station. The intercity train will have 18 coaches, railway officials said.
On return journey, it will start at 1pm and reach Dhaka by 9:10pm. The coaches of this train have been imported from South Korea recently. The train has three air-conditioned cabins, five AC cabins with chairs, six Shovon chair coaches, and one first class coach with chairs. Apart from this, there will be two dining cars and one power car for power system. There will be no AC berth initially.
According to railway sources, Shovon chair will cost Tk 500, AC chair Tk 961, AC seat Tk 1,150 and cabin Tk 1,725. Ten per cent will be added to the fare as the train will be non-stop.
There will be also Chottola Express train that will run from Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar stopping at nine stations and take almost three and a half hours. The number of trains will be increased in future. On Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route, Shovan (non-AC) Tk 170, Shovan chair (non-AC) Tk 205, Snigdha (AC) Tk 386, AC seat Tk 466 and AC berth will cost Tk 696.
Railway believes that this will be a profitable route as the Dhaka-Chattogram route already has a satisfactory number of passengers over the years.
However, the railway currently has manpower shortage to operate trains on Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route. They will need to hire at least 24 loco masters, ten stationmasters, 20 points-men and 200 gatemen. The vacancy of loco masters will be filled by appointing them mostly on a contract basis including from retired ones.
Md Shahidul Islam, chief operating superintendent (East) of Bangladesh Railway, told reporters that hiring staff and transferring some from other routes will be completed before December 1.
Initially, trains will stop at three stations--Ramu, Chakaria and Cox’s Bazar on the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar route. The other stations will be ready gradually. In future, there will be a total of seven pairs of trains operating on the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the much-awaited 102-km Chattogram's Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Rail Line, built at a cost of Tk 18,034.47 crore, opening a new era in the country’s railway connectivity.
With the inauguration of the railway station, Cox's Bazar, which has the world's largest sandy beach, has come under rail connectivity, 133 years after the first initiative was taken during the British era.
