Cox's Bazar:The 'Mahanagar Express' successfully completed its maiden journey to Cox's Bazar, transporting 965 passengers. This marks the third train service introduced by railway authorities to operate between the capital and the southeastern beach town.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the train arrived at Cox's Bazar at 730 am, where passengers were welcomed on their first trip. The train departed for Dhaka at 950 am, carrying 824 passengers as per the schedule.
Railway Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam inaugurated the service the previous day at Dhaka's Kamalapur railway station, with the train leaving in the evening. This expansion of services by Bangladesh Railway (BR) comes in response to increased passenger demand, adding to the existing Tourist Express and Cox's Bazar Express services on the 467.83 km route.
BR officials highlighted that the Mahanagar Express will travel to the beach town via Chattogram, stopping at 12 stations, unlike the other trains. These stops include Airport, Narsingdi, Bhairab Bazar, Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria, Akhaura, Kasba, Comilla, Laksam, Nangalkot, Feni, and Chattogram. Notably, the previous halt at Kumira Station has been removed with the route's extension.
The train is scheduled to depart Dhaka at 830 pm and arrive in Cox's Bazar at 600 am. On the return journey, it will leave Cox's Bazar at 900 am, reaching Dhaka at 630 pm, with each journey lasting 9 hours and 30 minutes. The service will not operate on Sundays, with Cox's Bazar serving as the base depot for maintenance activities.
The introduction of this third service aligns with the government's election manifesto to expand intercity rail services, fulfilling growing passenger needs.