Amid the demand for regularising the special train service on the Chittagong-Cox鈥檚 Bazar route, the railways authorities on Sunday took a decision to extend the service till July 24 this year.
The service was scheduled to run till today while on Sunday evening the approval for running the train for one more month was issued, said officials of the Bangladesh Railway.
Earlier in the day, in Dhaka and Chattogram cities the representatives of the passengers鈥� rights organisation and civil society demanded regularisation of the service.
In November 2023, prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 101-kilometre rail line from Chattogram鈥檚 Dohazari to Cox鈥檚 Bazar at a cost of about Tk 18,000 crore.
On April 8, the Bangladesh Railway launched the special train service from Chattogram to Cox鈥檚 Bazar on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
In view of the demand by passengers and locals, the train service was extended till June 10 but later the railway stopped the train service on 30 May following crisis of locomotives to operate the train service and amid huge criticism of the passengers and rights organisations.
Later on June 12, the railway resumed the train service under the special service for the Eid-ul-Azha which was scheduled to be closed from today.
Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 Chattogram divisional railway manager Saiful Islam confirmed to 抖阴精品 on Sunday at around 8:00pm that the special train service on the Chittagong-Cox鈥檚 Bazar route had been extended till July 24.
Earlier on Sunday, the members of the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh submitted a memorandum to railway鈥檚 director general Sardar Shahdat Ali at the Rail Bhaban in the capital demanding making the service permanent.
They said that the people of the Chattogram and Cox鈥檚 Bazar cities were being deprived of the popular train service, providing a safer and more affordable alternative to the road journey, which is often marred by crashes and excessive fares.
They alleged that for an 鈥榠nvisible鈥� reason this service had been stopped.
Blaming bus owners鈥� opposition, they said that there were allegations that bus owners had influenced railway officials to discontinue the service due to their declining numbers of passengers.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Chattogram reported that under the banner of Sanchetan Nagarik Samaj, Chattogram-Cox鈥檚 Bazar, a section of civil society representatives organised a press conference at Chattogram Press Club on Sunday afternoon.
Asking to reopen the Chattogram-Cox鈥檚 Bazar route special train service and making it permanent, they warned the railway authorities that they would take steps to suspend two other intercity trains - on the same Dhaka-Cox鈥檚 Bazar route.
Naznin Sorower Kaberi, former organiser secretary of Cox鈥檚 Bazar Awami League, alleged that a vested group was trying to suspend the profitable and popular service.
