People of Gaibandha have been suffering, as there is no Dinajpur-bound intercity train from Gaibandha town in the mornings.
Locals said they have been pleading to the government for a long time for a morning time intercity service from the town to Dinajpur as hundreds of people have had to move to the neighbouring town for academic, business and medical reasons.
If anyone wants to go to Dinajpur for official work on a specific day or date, the person has to reach the town a day before of the engagement by riding the Dolonchapa train.
After completing their tasks in the afternoon, they have to stay the night, as there are no Gaibandha-bound trains coming from Dinajpur in the afternoon or evening.
After spending two nights in the town, they then have to start for Gaibandha at 6:10am on the Dolanchapa train.
Thus, although the neighbouring towns are close geographically, the journey is long. To avoid this time-consuming journey, people prefer to take the bus trip instead.
Earlier, an intercity train, the Akota, used to run between Dhaka and Dinajpur via Gaibanda, Teestamuch ghat-Bahadurabad ghat, Jamalpur and Mymensingh every day except Tuesday. People in Gaibandha would travel to Dinajpur in the morning on the train.
But the train service was cancelled after the opening of a bridge in 1998 which crossed the River Jamuna.
Later, in 2010, the government introduced another train, the Ramsagar, which started for Dinajpur from Bonarpara in the district at 6:20am, but the service was also ceased in August 2011 without any prior notice.
Zahidul Islam, principal of Gaibandha Government College, said “Because of cancelling the trains, we can’t go to Dinajpur Education Board from Gaibandha in the morning by train. Being compelled, we go to Dinajpur by bus facing more troubles and difficulties.”
Shahana Banu, head teacher of Gaibandha Government Boys’ High School, said if a Dinajpur bound intercity train started in the morning at 6:30am, Gaibandha residents working in the academic field could go to Dinajpur Board and come back easily on the same day after completing their official work.
Shahiduzzaman Harun, a doctor and a president of the BMA district unit, said the government introducing a morning train would be a great help to poor patients who could not bear the cost of renting a private vehicle to go to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
At present, an intercity train, the Dolonchapa, is running from Dinajpur to Shantahar via Rangpur, Kaunia, Gaibandha and Bogra every day. The Shantahar-bound Donlonchapa train starts from Dinajpur at 6:10am and reaches at Gaibandha station at 10:45am. l
