‘Local train on Noakhali-Dhaka route to resume soon’

 
NOAKHALI, Sept 4: A local train on the Noakhali-Dhaka route will be resumed soon once the ongoing engine shortage is resolved, said Railway Secretary Mohammad Fahimul Islam.

He gave the assurance on Thursday when a delegation from Noakhali submitted a memorandum demanding improvements in railway services in the district.

“We are aware of the train-related problems in Noakhali. It is embarrassing for us that we cannot provide adequate train services to such an important district,” he said.

Earlier, members of the Noakhali Division Implementation Coordination Committee handed over the memorandum to the secretary. The delegation included its General Secretary MH Rahman Fuad, Office Secretary Sazzad Hossain Sohel, Finance Secretary Mohammad Ridoy Hossain and Abdul Hamid Rony.

The memorandum highlighted mismanagement of the Dhaka-Noakhali route's only intercity train, Upukool Express, along with irregularities in its schedule. It also called for measures to prevent theft and mugging on trains and improve passenger safety.

According to the memorandum, Upukool Express is currently running three to four hours late almost every day, while its schedule is not passenger-friendly.

The delegation also demanded the resumption of the passenger-friendly local train that used to operate at night on the Dhaka-Noakhali route, introduction of Subarna Char Express, and modernisation and remodelling of Chaumuhani Railway Station.

Other demands included construction of a double railway line between Chaumuhani and Laxmipur, extension of the railway line from Sonapur to Chairman Ghat, modernisation of the Laksam-Noakhali railway route and inclusion of Noakhali as a special priority area for railway development.

Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman, Additional Director General (infrastructure) of Bangladesh Railway, said the modernisation and remodelling of Chaumuhani station was already in process and would be included in the budget for the next fiscal year.
He also said a feasibility study for the Chaumuhani-Laxmipur railway line was progressing.