Kurigram Rail Link Halted After Sand Truck Overturns

Rail and road communication between Kurigram and the rest of the country was temporarily suspended early Thursday (May 18) after a sand truck lost control and overturned onto the tracks.

The accident occurred around 7:10 a.m. near a petrol pump on the Rajarhat-Tista road in Rajarhat upazila. The blockage immediately halted the Dhaka-bound Kurigram Express, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and forcing them to seek alternative routes. The adjacent Rajarhat-Tista road connection was also closed due to the crash.

"I heard a loud noise at dawn and saw that the truck had overturned on the railway line, completely blocking it," said local resident Mostafizur Rahman.

Many travelers were caught off guard by the disruption. Unable to board at Kurigram station, passengers had to hire auto-rickshaws to reach Teesta Junction Station to catch their trains.

"I came to the station in the morning and found out the train wouldn't arrive," said Rubel Mia, a Dhaka-bound passenger. "I was forced to go to Teesta Station by auto-rickshaw, which cost me both extra time and money."

Another passenger, Abdul Kader, who was traveling for urgent work, expressed frustration over the lack of advance notice, stating he had to scramble to make alternative travel arrangements.

Following the incident, railway authorities, local administration, and rescue teams arrived at the scene to remove the truck.

Konika, the official in-charge of Kurigram Railway Station, confirmed the ongoing recovery efforts. "The work of removing the truck is underway. Train services will be normalized once the railway line is cleared and declared safe," she said.

At the time of writing, train services on the Kurigram-Tista route remain suspended.