Passengers continued to suffer amid massive disruption in train schedules from and to Dhaka for the second consecutive day on Saturday following the derailment of a train which damaged the automatic signalling system.
By Saturday noon, the signalling system was restored but the ordeal of the passengers continued due to collapse in schedules.
Journeys of four intercity and two local trains were cancelled on the day for the same reason.
The trains are 鈥� Joyantika Express on Dhaka-Sylhet and Sylhet-Dhaka route, Agnibina Express on Dhaka-Tarakandi and Tarakandi-Dhaka routes and Turag Commuter on Dhaka-Joydebpur and Joydebpur-Dhaka routes.
Passengers were seen waiting at Kamalapur station with their family members and bags while many returned their tickets.
The rail communications between Dhaka and the rest of the country snapped immediately after the intercity train Panchagarh Express鈥檚 five compartments derailed inside the Kamlapur Station at around 12:15am on Friday.
After around eight hours, the rail communication resumed at about 8:00am on Friday on only one track.
鈥極ut of the up and down lines, only the up line (line to leave Dhaka towards other districts) was cleared, and as the trains were running using only one track, it delayed the journeys of all trains,鈥� said Kamalapur station master Anowar Hossain.
The derailment also eventually caused the collapse of the railway鈥檚 automatic signalling system.
鈥楾oday (Saturday) the automatic signalling system was resumed at about 12:00 noon and trains started to run on both lines as usual,鈥� he also said.
A total of 39 pairs or 78 intercity trains, and 24 pairs or 48 commuter and mail trains run from the Kamalapur station every day.
Till 3:00pm on Saturday, only 12 trains left the station, said some officials.
On the day, till 5:30pm, Silkcity Express on Dhaka-Rajshahi route was around six hours behind its schedule while Upakul Express on Dhaka-Noakhali and Kaloni Express on Dhaka-Sylhet route was around two hours behind their schedules.
Hundreds of the rail passengers were seen waiting at the station in the capital.
Some of them expressed agony about the late schedules.
鈥業t is not possible for me to change tickets and travel Rajshahi with my minor child by bus,鈥� said Imran Ali, a Rajshahi-bound passenger.
He was waiting for Silkcity Express train with his wife and child for hours.
Passengers were also seen gathering at toilets in queue to use them.
Station master Anowar Hossain confirmed that many were returning tickets.
In Friday鈥檚 incident, none was injured as the train was moving at a low speed.