Agri-goods special train on Dhaka-Khulna route suspended
The service was earlier halted on the Panchagarh route on 31 October and on the Chapainawabganj route on 1 November
The special train launched to transport agricultural produce from Jashore and Khulna to Dhaka at lower costs in order to curb the rising prices of essential commodities has been suspended.
The service has been temporarily stopped due to lack of interest of farmers and traders and low amount of goods being transported, according to Bangladesh Railway authorities.
The train was launched on this route on 22 October. On its first run, it departed from Khulna carrying only 640 kg of goods, left Jashore empty-handed and then departed from Chuadanga with only 100 kg of goods, whereas it has the capacity to transport 120 tonnes of goods daily. According to the railway, it caused a loss of Tk10 lakh in one day.
Masud Rana, senior station master of Khulna Railway, said they conducted campaigns in various markets and vegetable stalls, but the response was not as expected.
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"Many traders have talked about arranging trains every day. They may be more interested if it is possible to collect goods door-to-door," he added.
The special train service was launched last month to operate every Tuesday from Khulna, every Thursday from Panchagarh, and every Saturday from Chapainawabganj, transporting agricultural goods to Dhaka.
Due to low response, the service was earlier halted on the Panchagarh route on 31 October and on the Chapainawabganj route on 1 November.
