Train accidents have increased at an alarming rate on the Sylhet-Akhaura railway. Such insecurity of the railways has created extreme anxiety. 12 train accidents in the last 6 years on this railway; Which has made train passengers panic. Among them, most accidents occurred on this route in 2019.
The cause of frequent train accidents on this 178 km long railway line has been worked on at various times. In view of which it is known that there are not enough nut-bolts, faceplates and clips in the railway lines running in hilly and remote areas. There are no very important stones on the railway line. Where most of the level crossing clips are stolen. Train derailment due to various reasons. In addition, old engines and coaches caused schedule disruptions; Which in turn increases the incidence of accidents due to line signal deviation. According to related sources, the quality of railway passenger service is deteriorating day by day. Along with that, common passengers are turning away from the railways as the risk increases on the journey.
On September 20, 2019, the Sylhet-bound inter-city Upaban Express train jolted with a loud noise and stopped after approaching Srimangal at around 4:30 PM. Many passengers started crying in fear at this time. On September 17 of the same year, a coach of a passenger local train from Chittagong derailed near Maizgaon railway station in Fenchuganj. A train derailed near Mallikpur in Fenchuganj at around 11:30 am on September 4. Rail communication was suspended for 4 hours.
On the night of August 16 of that year, the Dhaka-bound Upban Express train met with an accident at Maizgaon railway station, causing panic among the passengers. 15-20 passengers were injured while disembarking in haste. On the morning of July 19, a coach of the Dhaka-bound Jayantika Express train derailed near Kulaura railway station, injuring several passengers while getting off the train. The next day, on July 20, the Dhaka-bound inter-city Kalni Express met with an accident at the same place.
On July 7, between Palki and Manu Setu in Hajipur, Kulaura, the train stopped due to the broken hose pipe of the loco engine. On June 28, the Chittagong-bound Paharika Express got stuck at the dangerous Barachhara bridge in Baramchal due to heavy rains. On June 23, the Dhaka-bound Upban Express train met with a major accident at Baramchal area of Kulaura. In this incident, 4 passengers were killed and more than half a hundred passengers were injured. On June 2, when the Kushiara train derailed at Rashidpur station in Bahubal, Habiganj, rail communication was suspended for several hours. In 2020, rail traffic on this route resumed after almost 20 months of train traffic being stopped during the Covid-19.
Last, on the night of June 27 (Wednesday) this year, Sylhet’s rail communication with the rest of the country was closed for about 8 hours due to the Katalpur rail accident in Fenchuganj. More than 900 passengers on the train narrowly escaped. At 6:30 p.m. on this day, the Paharika Express train left for Sylhet after the last break at Maizgaon railway station. When the train reached the bridge over the Ratna river near Katalpur Majhpara in Fenchuganj, the rear 5 to 6 coaches of the train got separated from the main body of the train. When the matter came to the attention of the loco master, he immediately stopped the train by applying hard brakes. At this time, when the part of the coach coming from behind hit the main part of the train, 3 coaches of the train derailed. More than 900 passengers of the train miraculously survived.
A passenger named Shimu Begum in that train said that the brakes were pressed so hard that everyone panicked.
Shariful Islam, Inspector of Bangladesh Railway said that double line work has started on Akhaura-Sylhet railway. If this work is completed, many problems on the Akhaura-Sylhet section railway line will be solved.