Special trains on 10 routes marking Tarique Rahman's return

Special trains will be operated on 10 routes to facilitate the travel of leaders, activists and supporters of BNP to Dhaka marking the return of the party's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Applications seeking allocation of special trains or additional coaches were submitted from the party's central and regional offices for the movement of BNP leaders and supporters, said a press release issued today.

According to the application, a large number of party leaders, activists and supporters from across the country are expected to travel to Dhaka to accord a reception to Tarique Rahman upon his return from the United Kingdom.

To ease their movement, the BNP expressed its intention to reserve trains on different routes on the night of 24 December, in line with government regulations and by paying the required fares.

In response, special trains will be operated on 10 routes, while additional coaches will be added to several regularly scheduled trains to meet the demand.

Due to this arrangement, services of some short-distance trains will remain suspended on December 25. These include the Rajbari Commuter (Rajbari-Poradaha), Dhalarchar Express (Pabna-Rajshahi) and Rohanpur Commuter (Rohanpur-Rajshahi), according to a press release of the Ministry of Railways.

The Ministry of Railways expressed regret for the temporary inconvenience caused to passengers on the affected routes due to the one-day suspension of these train services.

Based on demand, special trains will be operated on the Cox's Bazar-Dhaka-Cox's Bazar, Jamalpur-Mymensingh-Dhaka-Jamalpur, Tangail-Dhaka-Tangail, Bhairab Bazar-Narsingdi-Dhaka-Narsingdi-Bhairab Bazar, Joydebpur-Dhaka Cantonment-Joydebpur (Gazipur), Panchagarh-Dhaka-Panchagarh, Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna, Chatmohar-Dhaka Cantonment-Chatmohar, Rajshahi-Dhaka-Rajshahi and Jashore-Dhaka-Jashore routes.

Besides, extra coaches will be added to several regular trains depending on demand.

Bangladesh Railway is expected to earn an estimated Tk 3.6 million in revenue from operating the special trains and additional coaches. Instructions have been issued to ensure that party leaders and activists strictly comply with the Electoral Code of Conduct-2025 while travelling on these trains.