Derailments snap Dhaka's rail links with Ctg, Sylhet, Khulna for nearly 12 hours

Three separate incidents of derailment Friday night disrupted Dhaka's rail communications with Chattogram, Sylhet and Khulna regions for nearly 12 hours.

A freight train derailed at around 10:15pm near the Poiratola level crossing, just outside the Brahmanbaria Railway Station, disrupting rail communication between the capital and the Chattogram and Sylhet regions.

Md Shakir Jahan, assistant station master at Brahmanbaria Railway Station, said the Dhaka-bound freight train, travelling from Chattogram, crossed the station at around 10:10pm.

Shortly afterward, one of its carriages derailed near the level crossing, leading to the suspension of train services on the route, he added.

Then around 6am this morning (10 May), a bogie of the Cox's Bazar Express train, travelling from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar, also derailed.

"The derailed bogie of the freight train was recovered at 4:50am, and the Cox's Bazar Express bogie was recovered at 7:15am. However, train movement resumed normally from 9:30am after the damaged railway tracks and sleepers were repaired," said Mohammad Jasim Uddin, station master of Brahmanbaria Railway Station.

Derailment at Bhanga

Two coaches of the Jahanabad Express train travelling from Dhaka to Khulna derailed at around 9:15pm in the Bhanga Bamankanda Junction area in Faridpur due to incorrect signalling by a pointman.

As a result, train movement on the Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Benapole, and Dhaka-Rajshahi routes remained suspended for 12 hours.

Although 600-700 passengers faced inconvenience during the accident, no casualties were reported.

Two relief trains from Ishwardi and Khulna conducted rescue operations to recover the derailed coaches.