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Bangladesh Railway (BR) has started freight train service to bring in essential goods from India amid a slowdown in road-based transportation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Railway officials said the first train carrying 1,000 tonnes of onion left Gede at 04:25pm and crossed the Darshana-Gedeborder at 5:20 pm on Saturday.
According to BR West Zone, even though the Indian side proposed transporting stone by train apart from onion, the proposal was rejected as it would be difficult to get labour for unloading the heavy item in Bangladesh.
"Around 1,000 tonnes of onion are entering Bangladesh through Darshana-Gede route today as part of the initiative to use freight service," said Mia Jahan,additional director general of Bangladesh Railway.
He said they were still working with the Indian side on what other items would bebrought by trains.
Bangladesh and India have the common border to operate freight trains through Rohonpur-Singabad, Benapole-Petrapole, Darshana-Gede and Birol-Radhikapur routes.
BR sources said of the four routes, customs facility at Rohonpur-Singabad is yet to be furnished well.
Due to suspension of train services including passenger trains since March 26, the state-owned train operator has been trying to operate special trains for goods transportation.
Though freight service from Chattogram Port is operated well, the rest of goods carrying services are not getting good response from traders and businessmen.
Parcel train service launched on four routeswas closed within two days after its launch. The authority tried to continue parcel service by changing two routes, but they did not receive enough response to transport parcels from service areas, sources said.
Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujon on Saturday inaugurated freight train for carrying vegetables from Panchagarh to Chattogram.