Railway adds third pair of trains on Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route

Bangladesh Railway has added a third pair of trains to the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route by extending the Mohanagar Express service from Dhaka-Chattogram, increasing capacity for around 1,500 additional passengers daily.

Road Transport and Bridges, Shipping and Railways Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam inaugurated the extended service at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka today (26 October).

With the addition of the Mohanagar Express, three pairs of trains — the Mohanagar Express, Parjatan Express and Cox’s Bazar Express — now operate on the route.

The 467.83km journey via Chattogram will include stops at 12 stations between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar: Airport, Narsingdi, Bhairab Bazar, Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria, Akhaura, Kasba, Cumilla, Laksam, Nangalkot, Feni and Chattogram. The train will no longer stop at Kumira.

The Mohanagar Express will leave Dhaka at 8:30pm and reach Cox’s Bazar at 6am the following day. On the return journey, it will depart Cox’s Bazar at 9am and arrive in Dhaka at 6:30pm. Both journeys are scheduled to take nine hours and 30 minutes.

The train has 736 seats in one direction and 706 in the other, with fares unchanged from existing rates. Its maintenance, watering and cleaning facilities will be based in Cox’s Bazar, and its weekly off day will be Sunday.

According to Bangladesh Railway, the extension responds to passenger demand for rail services to the popular tourist destination and will allow passengers from stations along the Dhaka-Chattogram route to travel directly to Cox’s Bazar.

State Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Railways Habibur Rashid Habib, Railways Secretary Md Fahimul Islam, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Afzal Hossain and other officials attended the inauguration.

The move also aligns with the government’s election manifesto commitment to expand intercity rail services.