Passengers Stranded as Trains Fail to Arrive Even After Four Hours
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Even after nightfall, no trains arrived at the station. Hundreds of passengers continued waiting on platforms for hours, while many families with children faced growing uncertainty. Rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of the country came to a halt from Friday afternoon after a wagon of an oil-carrying train derailed in the Lawachara National Park area of Kamalganj upazila in Moulvibazar. As a result, passengers bound for Dhaka and Sylhet became stranded at different stations, including Sreemangal, suffering severe hardship.
Railway authorities said the empty wagon of an oil-carrying train traveling from Sylhet to Akhaura suddenly derailed around 3:30 pm inside the Lawachara forest between Bhanugach and Sreemangal railway stations. Following the incident, train movement on the important route stopped completely. The Sylhet-bound intercity Jayantika Express from Dhaka remains stranded at Satgaon Station in Sreemangal.
The derailment inside the forest created a familiar scene of suffering at Sreemangal Railway Station. On-site observations showed hundreds of passengers anxiously waiting for trains on the platform. Despite hours passing, no one could confirm when the situation would return to normal.
Pulak, a passenger traveling to Sylhet, expressed frustration and anger, saying, “I have been sitting at the station for nearly four hours. No one can even confirm when the train will arrive. If we now leave the station and travel by road, we will face even more suffering.”
At the same station, Suman Mia waited for the Dhaka-bound Parabat Express. He said he never expected to face such a situation after visiting Sreemangal with his family. “We were supposed to return to Dhaka today. The train was scheduled to leave around 6 pm, but even by 8 pm we received no update. I have a small child with me, and it has become extremely difficult,” he said.
Sreemangal Railway Station Master Sakhawat Hossain confirmed the incident and said rescue operations began immediately after the empty oil-train wagon derailed. He said railway recovery teams are working quickly at the site to remove the derailed wagon and restore train operations as soon as possible.
Until the rescue operation ends, uncertainty remains over how long passengers will have to continue waiting and enduring the hardship.
