Parjatak Express Halted in Chattogram
Heavy Rain Strands Thousands on Cox’s Bazar-Bound Train
The Parjatak Express remains stranded in Chattogram after heavy rainfall submerged sections of the railway line.
Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman was traveling to Cox’s Bazar with 21 family members aboard the Parjatak Express intercity train. What was supposed to be a joyful family trip has turned into a long and anxious wait.
Continuous heavy rainfall submerged sections of the railway line, leaving the train stranded in Chattogram. After waiting nearly eight hours with female family members and children, Rahman rushed to the station in search of alternative transportation.
“I have never experienced such suffering before. The entire joy of the trip has been ruined,” he said.
Rahman was not alone. Nearly 1,000 passengers aboard the Parjatak Express faced the same ordeal. As the night wore on, so did their anxiety. The lack of a clear announcement from railway authorities fueled frustration among passengers.
Railway sources later indicated that the entire journey might be canceled, raising further concerns for passengers traveling with women and children late at night.
The train became stranded at around 12:45 pm Tuesday after heavy rainfall inundated the Sholashahar-Janalihat section of the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar railway route.
A tree also fell onto the tracks in the Forest Gate area of the same section, leaving the train halted there for nearly four hours. Railway workers removed the tree at 4 pm, and authorities moved the train to Sholashahar Station at 4:30 pm.
After remaining at Sholashahar Station until about 8:30 pm, the train arrived at Chattogram Railway Station around 8:45 pm.
The train had departed Dhaka at 6:15 am and was scheduled to reach Cox’s Bazar at 2:40 pm.
Farhan Mahmud, divisional transportation officer of Bangladesh Railway's Chattogram division, said about 20 inches of water still covered the railway line.
“We cannot operate the locomotive until the water level falls to six inches. The water receded somewhat in the evening, but intensified rainfall caused it to rise again. Under the current circumstances, the entire journey may have to be canceled,” he said.
Passengers endured severe hardship as the train remained stranded. Some had already booked hotels in Cox’s Bazar, while others had not. Many worried about where they would spend the night with their families during the storm.
One of them was Supreme Court lawyer Ruhul Amin. He said he had unloaded his luggage and gotten off the train around 5:00 pm. He had even rented a vehicle from a rent-a-car service. However, train staff told passengers that the train would resume its journey and asked them to board again.
With no final decision announced by 9 pm, Amin found himself in a difficult situation with eight family members.
For Alisha Al Faiza, who recently sat for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, the trip was meant to be special. It was her first visit to Cox’s Bazar with her parents.
But the excitement quickly faded after the train became stranded. During the prolonged wait, she struggled to care for her ailing father.
Three friends from Brahmanbaria Government College were also traveling to Cox’s Bazar after planning the trip for a long time. After waiting nearly eight hours, they became so frustrated that they no longer wanted to continue the journey.
They got off the train and headed to catch a bus back to Brahmanbaria.
“We heard the weather in Cox’s Bazar is not good either. You cannot travel with this level of uncertainty. Now I will be relieved if I can somehow get back home,” said Mohammad Nabil, one of the three friends.
Ariful Islam, station master of Sholashahar Station, said personnel from the railway engineering department were working in the flooded section of the railway line.
“The train will depart once the water recedes. We are regularly updating passengers,” he said.
