Direct Pabna-Dhaka intercity trains from 19 November, minister to inaugurate service

After a long-standing demand and a long wait, the dream of the people of Pabna is finally about to come true. From 19 November, a new pair of direct intercity trains will begin running on the Pabna-Dhaka route.

On that day in the afternoon, the two trains will be formally inaugurated from Pabna Railway Station by the Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping, Sheikh Rabiul Alam. The railway authorities said all preparations for the inauguration have already been completed.

The Ministry of Railways approved Bangladesh Railway's proposal for the new pair of intercity trains on the Pabna-Dhaka route on 4 November. A formal gazette on the matter was issued last Thursday.

The two trains will run as the 'Pabna Probhati Express' and the 'Pabna Express'. Regular services on this route will begin right after the inauguration.

Under the approved timetable, the 'Pabna Probhati Express' will leave Pabna for Dhaka every day at 8am and reach Dhaka at 2:10pm.

On the other hand, the 'Pabna Godhuli Express' will leave Dhaka every day at 3:25pm and reach Pabna at 9:20pm.

The two trains will run with 12 coaches. On the way, in both directions, they will stop at Dashuria, Ishwardi, Chatmohar, Boralbridge, Ullapara, Shahid M Mansur Ali, Tangail, Joydebpur and Dhaka Airport railway stations.

Abu Hena Mostofa Alam, Divisional Railway Manager of the Pakshi western region, said the new train service will be formally inaugurated at Pabna Railway Station on the afternoon of 19 November. Regular services on this route will begin after the inauguration. All preparations for the inauguration have already been completed.

According to those concerned, the new rail link will not only make travel easier but will also have a positive impact on Pabna's economy, trade and commerce, education, healthcare and tourism.

In particular, the long suffering of patients travelling to various hospitals in the capital, students, businesspeople and employees will be greatly reduced. Ordinary people will get a comparatively comfortable rail journey, avoiding road congestion and the uncertainty of the journey.

The history of rail connectivity with Pabna is more than a hundred years old. Rail connectivity in this region expanded with the opening of the Hardinge Bridge in 1915. Later, after the Jamuna Bridge opened in 1998, rail connectivity between the northern region and Dhaka expanded further.

But for a long time, the Pabna district headquarters remained outside direct intercity rail connectivity with the capital. As a result, people of the district had to depend on buses or trains on other routes to travel to Dhaka.

Akhtaruzzaman Akhtar, president of the Pabna Press Club, said that although Pabna's rail history spans more than a hundred years, the people of the district headquarters had so far been deprived of direct intercity train facilities. At last, that wait is coming to an end. This is a most joyful and long-awaited achievement for the people of Pabna.

Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, the Member of Parliament for Pabna-5 (Sadar), said, 'With the launch of this train, the long wait of the people is ending. It was a long-standing demand and expectation of the people of Pabna. I communicated with the ministry about that demand and tried to implement it. Insha Allah, it is now only waiting to start. The present government is committed to fulfilling its promises. I hope that, with everyone's cooperation, Pabna will move further along the path of development in the future.'