Rail communication between Chattogram and the rest of Bangladesh has been indefinitely suspended following two separate train incidents in Cumilla on Wednesday evening disrupting schedules on one of the country's busiest routes.
The disruption began around 7:30 pm when the Dhaka-bound Sonar Bangla Express suffered an engine failure and became stranded on the up line near Hasanpur Station in Nangalkot.
In an attempt to bypass the blocked track authorities routed the Chandpur-bound Meghna Express through the adjacent down line via Gunabati Station. However the tragedy struck a second time around 8:00 pm when four coaches of the Meghna Express derailed between the Hasanpur and Gunabati stations completely severing rail links on both lines.
Laksam Junction Station Master Md. Omar Faruk confirmed the twin incidents noting that recovery operations are actively underway.
"The simultaneous engine failure and derailment have closed rail communication on both lines," Faruk said. "We have separated the four derailed coaches of the Meghna Express and the remaining carriages are being safely moved to Laksam."
Nangalkot Station Master Jamal Uddin added that a replacement engine and a dedicated rescue train have been dispatched from Chattogram.
Authorities expect train movements to resume as soon as at least one of the lines is cleared. Passengers are advised to expect significant delays across the network while emergency crews work through the night.
