Bangladesh Railway launched a special agricultural goods train on Tuesday for transporting produce to Dhaka at lower costs in order to combat the rising prices of essential commodities.
Farmers and traders from the southern and northern regions of the country will be able to transport vegetables and agricultural products to the capital, at a lower cost three times a week using this special train.
The railway authorities introduced the special train to stabilize the prices of agricultural products and reduce extortion and harassment on roads.
The train departed at 10:15am from Khulna Railway Station towards Dhaka.
From now on, the train will operate every Tuesday from Khulna, every Thursday from Panchagarh, and every Saturday from Chapainawabganj, transporting agricultural goods to Dhaka.
The cost of transporting vegetables and agricultural products via this train will range from Tk1.08 to a maximum of Tk1.47 per kilogram, which has pleased traders.
On the first day, the special train departed from Khulna with seven compartments carrying 640 kilograms of goods.
The train has the capacity to transport 120 tons of goods daily.
Bangladesh Railway (West) Chief Commercial Manager Sujit Kumar Biswas said modern coaches recently imported from China have been added to the train to maintain the quality of the products.
"The train includes air-conditioned compartments and will collect goods from 15 stations, including Jessore, Jhenaidah, and Kushtia, along the route."
Bangladesh Railway Director General Sarder Sahadat Ali said the train will arrive on Tuesday night to align with trading hours at Karwan Bazar in the capital. "If demand increases, the number of trains will be increased."
