Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway: No gateman at 56 of 72 crossings, 30 deaths in 20 months

The dream of a direct railway line connecting Chattogram to Cox's Bazar came with the promise of development, connectivity, and tourism. But less than two years since its inauguration, the 103.57-kilometre stretch has turned into a corridor of death.

On a sweltering August afternoon, a CNG-run autorickshaw carrying five passengers got stuck at Dhalirchara crossing in Ramu's Rashidnagar. A Dhaka-bound Cox's Bazar Express, thundering down the track at 70km per hour, struck the vehicle and dragged it nearly a kilometre before coming to a halt. When the train stopped, the autorickshaw was a heap of twisted metal. None of the passengers survived.

An oncoming train at Dohazari–Jamirjuri, Chandanaish on the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar line. Photo: Md Minhaj Uddin

That tragedy was not an isolated one. Earlier this year, in April, a motorcyclist was crushed at an unprotected crossing in Eidgaon's Palakata area. Last November, two young men met the same fate at another unguarded crossing in Ramu.

According to Railway Police data, at least 30 people have died on this line in just 20 months of operation - victims of collisions and run-overs at unprotected level crossings.

Thousand-crore line, safety left behind

Built at a staggering cost of Tk11,335 crore, the Chattogram–Cox's Bazar rail line was inaugurated with fanfare on 1 December 2023. The project is still incomplete, yet trains now run four times a day in each direction.

However, safety infrastructure appears to have been left behind. Out of 72 level crossings, 56 have no barriers or gatekeepers. The rest, only 16 crossings, are equipped with basic safety measures.

At the unprotected crossings, the railway authority has merely installed warning signboards that read: "Caution! There is no gatekeeper at this gate! Pedestrians and all vehicles will cross at their own risk. The railway authorities will not be held responsible for any accident."

Photo: Md Minhaj Uddin

The Dhalirchara crossing, where five lives were lost in August, was one such "unmanned" gate.

"Some crossings are manned, some are not. Where traffic is low, gatekeepers aren't deployed," said Abu Rafi Mohammad Imtiaz Hossain, divisional engineer of Chattogram Railway. "If traffic increases, we'll reconsider."

But residents and transport workers say traffic has already increased, and so have the funerals.

Exposed sections posing deadly threat

The 103km route is divided into nine sections, but none are fully secure. The Islamabad–Ramu section alone has 17 level crossings, of which only one has a gatekeeper. The Ramu–Cox's Bazar section has eight crossings, only one manned.

The problem is worse in the southern stretches. In the Islamabad–Ramu segment alone, 17 crossings cut through villages and bazars, but only one is guarded. The nearby Ramu–Cox's Bazar line has eight more, again with just a single gatekeeper. 

Further north, the Dulahazara–Islamabad section counts 12 crossings, all but one left exposed, while Chakaria–Dulahazara has nine, guarded at only three points. Together, these four sections form a corridor of risk where trains routinely barrel through populated areas with nothing but handmade warning signs to slow them.

An oncoming train nears an unguarded level crossing at Dohazari–Jamirjuri, Chandanaish—one of 56 such risky crossings on the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar line. Photo: Md Minhaj Uddin

The picture improves little elsewhere. From Harbang to Chakaria, half of the four crossings are manned; Lohagara–Harbang fares worse with just one gatekeeper for five crossings. The Satkania–Lohagara stretch shows three guarded out of eight, while Dohazari–Satkania manages four manned gates. Only Hashimpur–Dohazari, the line's shortest section, has a single crossing, but even that remains completely unstaffed.

Residents of Ramu have already written to the Chattogram Divisional Railway Manager, demanding barriers and warning systems. But their letters have gone unanswered.

"The railway line cuts straight through our villages," said one resident near Harbang. "You don't hear the train until it's too close. We live in constant fear."

Even wildlife hasn't been spared; several elephants have reportedly been killed along the route since operations began.

'A signal could save a life'

Experts argue that the danger is both predictable and preventable. They call for an urgent installation of signalling systems, red lights and alarms that warn of approaching trains.

"This is a simple, low-cost solution," said Prof Mahmud Omar Imam, former faculty member of the Civil Engineering Department at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet). "When a train is coming, bells should ring, red lights should flash — this isn't complicated. Why this wasn't included in the project is beyond comprehension."

An oncoming train at Dohazari–Jamirjuri, Chandanaish. Photo: Md Minhaj Uddin

He questioned whether the railway authorities had properly surveyed the crossings before classifying them. "I doubt they even assessed how many vehicles cross each gate. The busiest crossings must have barriers and full-time gatekeepers."

Authorities admit gaps, promise review

Md Sabuktagin, project director and general manager of the Railway's Eastern Zone, also told The Business Standard that 46 of the original crossings have already been converted into underpasses for safety.

"Gatekeepers and barriers were assigned based on traffic surveys and approved classifications," he said. "The problem lies with the local agencies. LGED, municipalities, or union councils often widen or pave roads without informing us, which leads to a gap in ensuring safety measures. Still, after recent accidents, we've formed a committee of engineers to review which crossings need immediate safety measures."

Regarding signalling systems, he added: "It's a good suggestion. If we can install bells and lights, people will recognise from a distance that a train is coming. We'll consider it seriously."

Until those measures are taken, the people living along the railway must rely on their eyes and ears, and luck.

Each whistle of a train sends pedestrians scrambling, mothers clutching their children, and drivers praying their wheels don't stall on the tracks. The Cox's Bazar railway line was meant to bring prosperity. Instead, it has delivered a grim reminder: development without safety is a tragedy waiting to happen.