Bangladesh arranges special train for Eid cattle

Bangladesh Railway has arranged a special train to transport sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

The train will operate on Jul 17-19, three days prior to Eid day, to meet the demands of the cattle traders, said Shariful Alam, public relations officer at the railway ministry.

It will run between Dewanganj Bazar, Jamalpur and Dhaka and will can carry up to 400 animals, he said. It is scheduled to leave Dewanganj Bazar at 3.30 pm and reach Kamalapur Station in Dhaka at 6 am the next day.

“Facilities are available to transport animals from Khulna and Chapainawabganj to Dhaka by train. We’ll introduce special trains on these routes too, if traders are interested.”

Traders will be charged Tk 500 to transport each animal.

The railway offered a similar service last year to transport sacrificial animals from the northern and western parts of Bangladesh to Dhaka and Chattogram. They, however, received little response from cattle traders.

The authorities may increase the number of special trains this year if the traders show interest, said Alam.

In 2008, the railway operated seven cattle special trains running from Jamalpur to Dhaka.

As many as 11.9 million animals are ready to be sacrificed for Eid across the country, according to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.