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Service for two trains travelling through Rajshahi has been suspended due to safety concerns amid a recent string of attacks targeting railways across Bangladesh.
Authorities directed the Uttara Express and the Ishwardi-Rahanpur commuter train to halt operations on Friday, according to Abdul Awal, an official at the Bangladesh Railway West Zone.
The Uttara Express usually departs from Rajshahi at 12:30 am, before making the return trip from Parvatipur at 3:30 am. Meanwhile, the Ishwardi-Rahanpur commuter train operates between 1:00 pm and 5:30 am daily, reports bdnews24.com.
Asim Kumar Talukder, manager of the railway's West Zone, highlighted the increasing number of attacks on local trains, citing an incident on December 17, when arsonists set fire to a compartment of the Uttara Express in Joypurhat.
The two local train services have been suspended as a precautionary measure, he said.
The trains will resume service once the situation returns to normal, according to Asim.
The political temperature in the country has been rising in the lead up to the national elections, with the BNP and like-minded groups initiating a series of hartals and transport blockades since October 29 to advocate for the institution of a neutral election-time government.
But the protest programmes have been marred by reports of violence, with trains becoming a target of arson attacks in recent weeks. In Gazipur, tracks were allegedly uprooted by saboteurs, causing the fatal derailment of a train.
In another incident on December 19, arsonists allegedly set fire to a Mohanganj Express train arriving in Dhaka from Netrokona, killing four people, including a woman and her child.