Commuter train derails in Rangpur, halting rail service in three districts

Six carriages of the “Padmarag Commuter” train have derailed in Rangpur’s Pirgacha Upazila, cutting off inter-city, local, and mail trains in three districts in the Rangpur region.

The accident occurred near the out signal at Pirgacha Railway Station around 12:40 pm on Tuesday, according to Station Master Genarul Islam.

Another train has departed from Lalmonirhat to retrieve the coaches, according to the railway station authority.

The Lalmonirhat-bound “Padmarag Commuter” was waiting at the Pirgacha Railway Station’s Line No. 2 for the Dhaka-bound “Lalmoni Express” around 12:30 pm, Genarul said.

After the other train crossed, the Padmarag set off for Lalmonirhat, but a connection on the train broke as the line was being changed, derailing six carriages. However, it did not cause any significant damage, as per a report on bdnews24.com.

Witness Bikash Majumder stated that the train derailed approximately 300 yards after it departed, as the line was changing. After the accident, a crowd gathered at the scene. There have been allegations that many passengers lost their belongings. At least 2,000 passengers were on board the train.

One passenger, Kakoli Rani Sarker, said that she had gone to the bathroom after leaving her bag on an empty seat next to her when the accident occurred. She returned to find that both her bag and the passenger seated next to her were gone.

Station Master Genarul said that the derailment had resulted in the suspension of service on the inter-city Rangpur Express, the Lalmoni Express, the Burimara Express, the Kurigram Express, the mail train Dolonchanpa, Kartowa, Padmarag, Ramsagar, Commuter, and Nineteen Up-Down trains.

Service will remain suspended until rescue operations are complete, he said.

The station master said that this will delay all passengers in the Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, and Kurigram districts as well as some passengers in Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, and Panchagarh.