Ctg-Cox rail route: No additional services despite high demand from tourists

Despite high demand during the holiday season, Bangladesh Railway has not launched additional special train services on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar route, causing significant inconvenience to tourists.

While the railway typically operates additional services during major holidays and events like Eid, Puja, and Ijtema to cater to passenger needs and generate additional revenue, no such measures have been taken for this high-demand route.

Moreover, additional coaches are usually added during special circumstances to handle such situations, but this time, even that measure was not taken.

This has sparked criticism of the railway's management, who cited shortage of manpower and logistics for not taking any steps, in response to written demands from schools, colleges, and corporate groups.

But stakeholders believe that the inadequate train services on the popular route is due to the authorities' indifference and mismanagement, with the railway eventually missing out on potential revenue opportunities.

Every year, with the arrival of winter in December, Cox's Bazar becomes a prime destination for local tourism and this year is no different, as the coastal city is already booming with tourists since last week.

This influx is expected to continue throughout the remaining days of this month and also in January next year, mainly due to the closure of schools, colleges, and universities, tourism industry sources said.

According to railway officials, there was a significant demand for special trains from the second week of December. Numerous applications and letters were submitted by various educational institutions and corporate groups to arrange more trains on the route to tackle the demand.

However, no special services were arranged for the holiday season, and additional coaches were also not added to existing trains.

The officials mentioned that a ban on adding extra coaches to trains has been in place since 29 October this year. The decision came during a meeting of the Ticket Management Committee, primarily aimed at preventing ticket scalping, addressing mismanagement, and dealing with the limited capacity of power cars.

However, stakeholders pointed out that adding extra coaches could have provided an opportunity to generate 20-30% more revenue by accommodating additional passengers.

A railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Business Standard, "The Cox's Bazar rail connection was established with crores of taka for better passenger service. If special trains aren't introduced during peak tourist seasons, when will they be?"

He added, "There was a huge demand and special arrangements should have been made this year."

According to internal railway reports, previous special trains have significantly boosted revenue. Between 16 December 2023, and 24 November 2024, 27 special trains carried over 252,000 passengers, earning more than Tk6.75 crore.

In October this year, the railway operated 16 special trains on the Dhaka-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar route in two phases, carrying over 7,216 passengers and generating over Tk1.14 crore.

Impact on tourism

Cox's Bazar is currently hosting thousands of tourists daily, with hotel and motel occupancy at maximum capacity, according to the Cox's Bazar Hotel and Guesthouse Owners' Association.

Cox's Bazar's hotel-motel zone has over 500 accommodations, ranging from star-rated hotels to various other categories. These facilities can host around 130,000 tourists daily.

Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Cox's Bazar Hotel and Guesthouse Owners' Association, told The Business Standard, "Running additional trains during the tourist season helps ease the difficulties faced by travelers. Many come from faraway places and prefer the comfort of trains"

"We had contacted the railway authorities, requesting extra trains during the peak tourist season. Initially, they assured us, but later, no additional trains were introduced," he added.

According to railway authorities, the 102-kilometer-long new rail line from Dohazari in Chattogram to Cox's Bazar, built at a cost of Tk15,000 crore, was inaugurated in November last year. In December, a direct intercity train service from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar was launched. 

However, citing shortages of engines, coaches, and manpower, no trains were initially operated from Chattogram. Following public outrage and criticism, two coaches were later allocated for passengers from Chattogram. Another intercity train was introduced in January, and since April, a special train service has been running between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.

According to the Transport and Mechanical Engineering Department of Bangladesh Railway, over 3,000 coaches and approximately 500 locomotives are needed to operate all train services smoothly.

However, the railway currently has just over 2,500 coaches and a little more than 300 locomotives. As a result, the Cox's Bazar route has not received allocations for new engines and coaches, railway officials said.

Bangladesh Railway Deputy Director (TC) Ansar Ali told TBS, "There is demand for trains on this route, but the service could not be launched due to shortages. Additionally, the authorities have halted adding extra coaches. However, if coaches are available, they are added as needed with approval from the authorities."

Ansar Ali suggested contacting Shah Alam, the railway authority's deputy director (marketing), for further details on the matter. However, attempts to reach Shah Alam via phone were unsuccessful.

Mohammad Nazmul Islam, general manager of the Eastern Zone of Bangladesh Railway, gave similar reasons for lack of additional train services.

"However, the process for overhauling 15 new locomotives has already begun. Once these engines are available, new train services can be launched on various routes across the country," he said.