Train services on Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route may resume Sunday: Bangladesh Railway

The water level on the rail track reduced to four inches, and the damaged line is being repaired, says an official

Bangladesh Railway has said train services on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route may resume Sunday once the rail track damaged by continued downpour and landslides is repaired.

Farhan Mahmud, divisional transport officer of Bangladesh Railways Eastern Region, told bdnews24.com on Saturday night that the water level on the rail track had reduced to four inches and the damaged line was being repaired.

“If everything goes well, train services on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route may resume from tomorrow [Sunday]."

However, it has not yet been decided which train will run on this route first and whether the first train will depart from Chittagong or Cox's Bazar, said Farhan.

State Minister for Railways Habibur Rashid said on Wednesday that train services on the route will remain suspended until weather conditions improve and floodwaters recede from the railway tracks.

He announced the decision while inspecting a flooded section of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway line in the port city’s Sholoshahar.

Earlier in the day, the railway authorities cancelled the "Parjatak Express" train bound for Cox’s Bazar after it had been stranded in Chattogram for a day in the face of heavy rain and waterlogging.

The “Saikat Express” train from Cox's Bazar to Chattogram was also cancelled on Tuesday night.

The two districts are among the worst affected across Chattogram Division in the ongoing floods, with landslides killing dozens in less than a week. Authorities said more than 1 million people were marooned as of Friday night.