Rail-accident fatalities in Bangladesh are steadily increasing due to widespread negligent behaviour and lax enforcement of the law. Risky practices such as boarding or disembarking moving trains, travelling on rooftops, sitting between train carriages, walking along tracks with earphones on, and avoiding foot-over bridges or careless crossings of railway tracks are causing repeated tragedies.
According to data from the Railway Police, 1,017 bodies were recovered from railway tracks across the country in 2024 alone, averaging nearly 85 deaths per month. Among the deceased, 794 were men and 223 were women. A total of 998 unnatural death cases were filed that year, with six later reclassified as murders following investigation. Of those killed, 504 died while sitting or walking on train tracks, 272 were struck while crossing lines carelessly, and 76 were hit while wearing earphones. In addition, 23 fell from train rooftops, and 142 deaths were classified as unnatural, where the exact cause could not be determined.
These numbers followed a similarly grim trend in 2023, when 1,064 train-related deaths were recorded. That year, 502 people died due to being on or near the tracks, 387 from dangerous crossings, 18 from headphone use, 23 from rooftop falls, and 134 deaths were unexplained. In 2022, a total of 471 bodies were recovered: 228 were killed on the tracks, 168 at rail crossings, one wearing headphones, and 73 due to illness, suicide, or mental instability. In 2021, 377 people died, including 147 from track-related incidents, 162 from unsafe crossings, 16 from headphone use, and 51 from health or psychological causes.
In the first four months of 2025 alone, nearly 300 deaths were already recorded, continuing the alarming trend. Over the broader period from 2019 to 2024, a staggering 5,362 bodies were recovered nationwide from railway tracks, of which 81 were later confirmed to be murder victims, their bodies dumped on the tracks in an attempt to conceal foul play.
Tofayel Ahmed Miah, Additional DIG of Railway Police, explained that when a body is recovered from the tracks, investigators examine evidence to determine the cause of death. "If there is any indication of foul play, we proceed with a murder investigation. Step by step, we are bringing those involved under the purview of the law," he said.
Additionally, from 2021 to 2024, five major railway outposts under the Dhaka zone-Tangail, Tongi, Joydebpur, Airport, and Narayanganj-recorded a combined 1,801 fatalities. Notably, more than 50 of those were due to victims walking along or near the tracks with earphones in.
Railway Police statistics from the Dhaka district show 460 bodies recovered in 2024, with 244 deaths caused by people sitting or walking on the tracks, 136 from unsafe crossings, 17 from headphone use, one from a rooftop fall, and 62 attributed to illness, suicide, or mental disorders. In 2023, Dhaka recorded 493 deaths with similar causes: 244 track-related, 172 from crossings, 15 headphone-related, three from rooftop falls, and six due to collisions with vehicles. Earlier years were only slightly better: 471 deaths in 2022, 377 in 2021, and high proportions of those also involved dangerous pedestrian behaviour near railway lines.
Bangladesh Railway is working within the framework of the Railway Act of 1861, a legacy of the British era that still provides a legal foundation for ensuring safety on and around the tracks. The Act prohibits walking along railway lines and enforces a permanent Section 144 restriction within 10 feet of the rails to protect public safety. Section 101 empowers authorities to take action against trespassing, including seizing livestock found within the restricted area. Yet public disregard for these laws remains widespread, leading to frequent and avoidable fatalities.
Sardar Tamiz Uddin Ahmed, Chief of Railway Police and Additional IGP, emphasized the seriousness with which each case is handled. "Every member of the Railway Police is working with the highest level of professionalism.
Each body recovered from the railway is subjected to a post-mortem examination. If the post-mortem reveals signs of homicide, we file a murder case and carry out an investigation," he said. He added that the force is ramping up surveillance in high-risk areas by installing CCTV cameras. A new initiative will soon equip trains with front-facing cameras to help distinguish between accidental deaths and intentional killings.
Ferdous Ahmed Biswas, Officer-in-Charge of Kamalapur Railway Police Station, stressed that real change must come from the public. "We use beat policing to educate people, but accidents won't stop unless public behaviour changes," he said.
Experts echo the need for greater awareness. Prof Omar Faruk of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University noted, "Sometimes criminals place bodies on railway tracks after committing murder to disguise it as an accident. At the same time, many deaths occur due to public negligence-like walking with headphones or sitting on the tracks unaware of oncoming trains.
Awareness campaigns by railway authorities are important, but public responsibility is essential to prevent these avoidable tragedies."
