Ticket sales for the "Probal Express" and "Saikat Express," two new trains set to operate on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar route from February 1, began at 11am on January 23 with a minimum fare of Tk185.
This information was shared with Bangla Tribune by Md Moniruzzaman, the manager of Chittagong Railway Station.
He said: “The new trains will begin passenger services from February 1 on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar route.
Tickets are made available 10 days in advance, according to rules.
Although ticket sales were supposed to begin on Wednesday, a technical issue caused a delay.
Sales started at 11am on Thursday.
Tickets for February 1 and 2 are currently available, both online and at railway station counters.
Ticket Fares to Cox's Bazar
The train fare from Chittagong to the tourist city of Cox's Bazar ranges from a minimum of Tk185 to a maximum of Tk340.
The fares are relatively affordable, often less than half the cost of bus travel.
On January 20, the full schedule of these trains was announced in an official order signed by Kamal Akhtar Hossain, Assistant Chief Operations Officer of the Eastern Railway.
Each train will have 743 seats and operate with 16 coaches.
Eastern Railway’s Divisional Manager ABM Kamruzzaman said: "After the new rail line opened, two permanent trains from Dhaka were operational, but the service from Chittagong was temporary. Considering local demand, two intercity trains will now operate in both directions. The two trains will begin carrying passengers from February 1, with ticket sales starting today."
The operation of these trains was formally approved on January 9.
A letter signed by Kamrul Hasan, Deputy Secretary of the Railway Ministry, said that the new trains will be run using existing staff of Bangladesh Railways.
Additionally, the marketing branch of the railway was permitted to provide catering services on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar route.
However, it was instructed to initiate a tender process for permanent catering services soon.
Train Schedule
According to the official order, Saikat Express (Train No 821) will depart from Chittagong daily at 6:15am and arrive in Cox's Bazar at 9:55am.
Probal Express (Train No 822) will depart from Cox's Bazar at 10:35am and head toward Chittagong.
Upon reaching Chittagong, Probal Express will depart again at 3:10pm and arrive in Cox's Bazar at 7:00pm.
Saikat Express will depart Cox's Bazar at 8:15pm and reach Chittagong at 11:50pm.
However, train services will remain closed on Mondays for weekly maintenance.
Stations Where Trains Will Stop
Saikat Express will stop at Soloshahar, Janali Hat, Patiya, Dohazari, Satkania, Chakaria, Dulahazara, and Ramu stations.
On the other hand, Probal Express will stop at Soloshahar, Gomdandi, Patiya, Dohazari, Satkania, Lohagara, Chakaria, Dulahazara, Islamabad, and Ramu stations.
Background of the Route
The Chittagong-Cox's Bazar railway line, a 102-kilometre stretch from Dohazari in Chittagong to Cox's Bazar, was inaugurated in November 2023.
Built at a cost of Tk15,000 crore, it was initially opened for intercity train service from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar in December.
However, due to shortages of engines, coaches, and staff, no permanent train service from Chittagong was introduced.
Eventually, after public demand and criticism, two coaches were allocated for Chittagong passengers.
A special train for Eid-ul-Fitr was also introduced in April 2023 but discontinued in May.
Following public outcry, another special train was reintroduced in June for Eid-ul-Adha and has continued operating since.
The demand for permanent trains on this route was longstanding.
In December 2023, the Chief Operations Officer of the Eastern Railway proposed making the special train permanent and introducing another new train.
Growing Demand for Train Services
Railway officials said the demand for train services is high among both tourists and locals on the Cox’s Bazar route.
On average, 40,000 people travel daily between Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, and even if 10,000 of them choose trains, this route could become highly profitable.
Additionally, due to the accident-prone highways and the relatively low fares, train travel has gained popularity.
According to railway data, since the route opened in December 2023, 1,039,293 passengers have travelled on this line as of October 2024, generating nearly Tk80 crore in revenue.
Of this, Tk72.5 crore was earned from three trains.
Within five months, the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar special train transported 135,662 passengers, earning Tk2.43 crore.
