Derailment in Gazipur snaps rail links between Dhaka and northern districts

Four coaches of the Dhaka-bound Chilahati Express have gone off the tracks in Gazipur, disrupting rail communication between the capital and northern Bangladesh.

The incident occurred around 2:30pm on Sunday in the Salna area along the Dhaka-Tangail railway line, said Md Nadiruzzaman, chief of the Joydebpur Railway Outpost.

“Shortly after 2:30pm, four coaches of the Chilahati Express derailed near Salna. As a result, train service between Dhaka and the northern region has been suspended. We are heading to the site.”

Abul Khayer Chowdhury, station master of Joydebpur Junction, said the train was on its way to Dhaka and had departed from Chilahati Station in Nilphamari when one of the coaches first came off the tracks near the Salna Bridge, causing the derailment.

"As a result, trains bound for northern districts via Jamuna Bridge have also been suspended," he added.

By 4pm, the Chilahati Express had resumed its journey towards Dhaka with the unaffected coaches, leaving the derailed ones behind, said Nadiruzzaman.

A rescue train from Dhaka has begun operations to recover the derailed coaches. Once they are cleared, train services between Dhaka and the northern districts will resume as normal, he added.