Train service in Dhaka resumes after six hours

Drivers of battery-run rickshaws had blocked the rail line to protest the ban on the vehicles in the Dhaka metropolitan area

Train connectivity from Dhaka to the rest of the country has been restored after six hours due to protests from drivers of battery-run rickshaws who blocked the rail lines. Many rail passengers were stuck for the whole day due to the protest.

Mahmudul Hasan, station master at Kamalapur Railway Station, said on Thursday: “The Jamalpur Express train left Kamalapur at 4:05pm. It was to set off in the morning. The other trains that were scheduled to depart throughout the day will start leaving now.”

No trains were able to depart Kamalapur from 10am due to the protest. Among the trains stuck at the station over these six hours were the Jamalpur Express, the Ekota Express, the Kishoreganj Express, the Jayantika Express, the Agnibina Express, the Mohanganj Express, the Rajshahi Commuter, the Banalata Express, the Chattola Express, the Silk City Express, the Kalni Express, the Upakul Express and the Jamalpur Commuter.

The long delays will have an impact on the train schedule, Mahmudul said.

“As [the protest] started this morning, it will take a long time for the trains to leave. The trains that were at the station are leaving gradually. Many Dhaka-bound trains were also stuck at other stations. They will come to Dhaka before departing again. That is why there will be a big impact on the schedule.”

Battery-run rickshaw drivers protesting a High Court order banning the vehicles from Dhaka took to the streets in Mohakhali, Mohammadpur, and other parts of the capital on Thursday.

The demonstration blocking the Mohakhali Rail Crossing severed Kamalapur Rail Station from the rest of the country around 10am, according to Jainal Abedin, chief of Dhaka Railway Police Station.