Culvert repair forces single-track train movement, disrupting schedules at Kamalapur

Passengers say they were not informed of the disruption when purchasing tickets, leaving many stranded on the platform for hours

Services at Dhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Station have faced widespread delays after repair work on a culvert in Tejgaon forced all trains to operate on a single track for several hours.

Passengers arriving at the station on Wednesday said they were not informed of the disruption when purchasing tickets, leaving many stranded on platforms with delays stretching up to two hours.

Russell Mia, who had come to board the Titas Commuter train, said he would have chosen a bus had he known earlier.

“They should have told us at the counter that the train would be delayed. Now I’m stuck here with my luggage,” he said.

Several other passengers travelling to Chattogram, Sylhet and other destinations echoed his frustrations.

Kamalapur Station Master Anwar Hossain said train movement was halted between 12:30am and 4:30am in Tejgaon to allow for culvert repairs. The work had been scheduled on a day when several trains have weekly off-days, according to him.

But delays in completing the repairs meant trains could only enter and leave the area on a single line until 8:30am, leading to disruption across multiple routes.

The Mohanagar Provati train to Chattogram departed more than two hours late, while the Parabat Express to Sylhet was also delayed. The station master confirmed that no train had been able to depart on time since morning.

He said operations had gradually normalised after double-track movement resumed.

“We hope the schedule will return to normal soon. We apologise to our valued passengers for this temporary inconvenience,” he added.