Railway Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam today said passengers will be able to travel from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar by train for Tk 685 in a Shovon Chair seat.
The minister made the announcement at the inauguration of the new train, Mahanagar Provati, on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route at Kamalapur Railway Station in the capital this evening.
With the introduction of the new service, the number of train pairs operating on the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar route will increase from two to three. The government plans to gradually raise the number to seven pairs to meet growing passenger demand, he said.
The minister said the railway authorities had been unable to operate sufficient trains on the popular route due to a shortage of locomotives and coaches despite substantial demand for the service.
"To facilitate passengers, we are introducing a train named Mahanagar Provati from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar via Chattogram," he said.
The fare for an AC Chair seat on the new train will be around Tk 1,311, allowing passengers to select seats according to their budgets and preferences.
The train will have approximately 706 seats, offering an affordable travel option for passengers heading to the country's popular tourist destination, the minister said.
He said the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway route was important for both tourism and passenger transportation. The introduction of additional train services would help meet rising demand and encourage more people to travel by rail.
Highlighting the government's railway development plans, Rabiul Alam said initiatives were being implemented in phases to modernise the railway sector and establish a quality rail transport system across the country.
He added that procurement of new locomotives and coaches, infrastructure development and implementation of new railway projects were underway to improve the capacity and quality of services.
The minister expressed hope that the initiatives would modernise commuter and intercity train services, expand passenger travel options and strengthen the country's railway network.
