The country's only railway track where riders get on and off a moving train

It is the only railway track in Bangladesh where people can get off a moving train and also get on a moving train. Although it may sound unbelievable, such words are heard from local people about the Ramna Bazar-bound train from Chilmari in Kurigram district.

A story is also quite prevalent in the local area centering on the train bound for Chilmari. In that story, told in the regional language, an elderly woman was walking with some belongings on her head. A train was passing slowly beside her. A passenger on the train shouted at her, "Grandmother, why are you walking? Get on the train and come."

In reply, the elderly woman reportedly said, "No, I will not go by train today. I am in a bit of a hurry and need to go quickly."

Although the story is a joke, it hides the real picture of the Chilmari railway line. Because of such slow speed, some local people jokingly say that one can reach faster by walking than by this train.

Numerous such videos circulate on social media. In them, many people can be seen getting off the train, and many others getting on. The train traveling from Parbotipur through Rangpur and Kaunia to Chilmari Ramna Bazar in Kurigram has been running slowly for a long time due to the poor condition of the railway line. In particular, the condition of the railway line from Ulipur to Ramna Bazar is extremely fragile. Due to old and expired sleepers, shaky infrastructure, and various problems on the railway line, the train has to be operated at a speed of only 10 to 15 kilometers per hour in some places.

As a result, train travel on this route has turned into something like a test of patience. On one hand, passengers cannot reach their destination on time because of the slow speed, and on the other hand, this low speed is creating the risk of new dangers.

Local people allege that because the train moves slowly, many people, including children and adolescents, consider getting on and off a moving train easy and safe. Some are even engaging in risky activities such as jumping on and off a moving train to make reels or TikTok videos on social media. Sometimes such incidents happen simply as part of entertainment.

Amjad Hossain, a resident beside the railway line, said that because the train's speed is low, many people take the matter casually. But getting on and off a moving train is never safe. A small act of carelessness can cause a major accident. It is urgent to take effective steps to stop such risky "stunts."

Jabbar Ali says, "Seeing adults get on and off a moving train encourages children to do these things too. As a result, what was once only a joke or part of a local story can now become a cause of accidents in reality."

Officials concerned have also admitted that the train's speed is being reduced due to the poor condition of the railway line. Md. Nazmul Hasan, booking assistant at the Ramna Bazar station office, said, "There are various technical and structural complications on the railway line from Ulipur to Ramna Bazar. For the sake of the safety of passengers and the train, we are compelled to operate the train at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour."

He said, "The matter of passengers getting on and off the moving train in a risky manner has also come to the attention of the authorities."

Nazmul Hasan further said that work on repairing and modernizing the railway line is ongoing. The repair work up to the Ulipur section has already become visible. It is hoped that the work on the Chilmari section will also be completed soon. Once the repair work is finished, the speed of the railway line and the quality of train service will return to normal.