Bangladesh Railway suspends 32 local trains ahead of election day

The Bangladesh Railway has suspended 32 local train routes across the country on Saturday and Sunday for the general election. However, rail authorities said all inter-city trains will still be running.

The decision was made due to the low passenger turnout during elections, said Md Quamrul Ahsan, director general of Bangladesh Railway, at the Kamalapur Railway Station on Saturday.

“We are suspending trips on some local train routes,” he said. “As local movement is limited during elections, we have closed nearly 20 routes in the eastern region and 12 routes in the western region on Saturday and Sunday. Other trains will still run.”

“The workers assigned to those trains will be transferred to others. As the election is coming up, the staff will work to strengthen the security on these trains further.”

A seven-member investigation committee has been formed to probe the fire on the Benapole Express on Friday night, he said. The railway initially suspects it was an act of sabotage.

Two carriages on the Benapole Express train were damaged, and the power car was partially burnt, the director general added.

“We will know the extent of the damage when we test the power car. Two carriages were burnt. They can still be used after repairs.”

Asked how long the Benapole Express would be out of commission, he said, “The Benapole Express will not run on Jan 6 or Jan 7. It will resume service after that.”

On Friday, the Benapole Express train stopped near the Gopibagh wet market around 9 pm. Locals then noticed smoke rising from several of its carriages. Four people were killed in the fire.

Eight people with injuries were admitted to the Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.

Doctors say they are still in danger.