Bangladesh's Railway Comeback: New Lines, New Reach
A 101 km line to Cox's Bazar, rail across the Padma Bridge, and a metro interchange at Kamalapur — Bangladesh's railway is expanding for the first time in decades.
By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 9 September 2026 · 8-minute read
For most of the past half-century, Bangladesh Railway was a story of managed decline — an inherited network, ageing rolling stock, and route closures. That has changed. The country is laying new track, and the additions are reshaping who can reach where.
The Line to the Beach
The most transformative addition opened in December 2023: the 101-kilometre Dohazari–Cox's Bazar line, connecting the national network to the country's principal tourist destination for the first time.
Bangladesh Railway now runs two direct intercity services from Dhaka's Kamalapur Station — the Cox's Bazar Express (813/814) and the Parjatak Express (815/816) — covering the journey in roughly 8.5 hours with stops only at Dhaka Airport Station and Chittagong.
The economic consequence is described more fully in our report on Cox's Bazar tourism, but the essential point is distributional. Before the line, reaching the coast meant a long road journey or a domestic flight — the first exhausting, the second priced beyond most households. Rail is affordable, runs to a timetable regardless of traffic, and moves large numbers at once. Access to the country's most famous destination stopped being rationed by income.
Rail Across the Padma
The Padma Bridge is usually discussed as a road crossing. It is also a rail crossing — and the rail link connects the southwestern districts to the national network in a way that had never previously existed.
For the 21 southwestern districts the bridge serves, that connection contributes to the projected 2.5 percent lift in regional GDP, alongside the road traffic that now averages around 22,000 vehicles daily.
Rail freight matters disproportionately for agricultural regions. Moving bulk produce by rail is cheaper per tonne-kilometre than by road, which changes what is economically worth growing in districts previously separated from Dhaka's market by a ferry crossing.
The Kamalapur Convergence
The most consequential piece of railway planning currently underway is not a new line at all. It is an interchange.
MRT Line 6 is being extended south to Kamalapur Railway Station, and MRT Line 1 — connecting the airport to Kamalapur and Purbachal — is scheduled to open in December 2030.
When those are complete, a passenger arriving at Kamalapur from anywhere on the national rail network will be able to transfer directly onto the metro. That is the point at which two separate transport systems begin functioning as one, and it is the difference between a railway that delivers people to the edge of Dhaka's traffic and one that delivers them into the city.
Why Rail Suits Bangladesh Particularly Well
Three characteristics make rail unusually well-matched to the country.
Density. Rail economics improve with passenger volume per route-kilometre. Bangladesh has among the highest population densities of any country on earth, which is precisely the condition under which rail outperforms road.
Land scarcity. A rail corridor moves far more people per metre of width than a highway. In a country losing farmland to construction every year, transport that consumes less land per passenger is not a marginal advantage.
Flood resilience. Elevated and embanked rail lines remain usable in conditions that close roads — a meaningful property in a delta where seasonal flooding is routine rather than exceptional, and one that connects directly to the country's climate adaptation planning.
The Constraints
Honest assessment requires naming what has not been solved.
Bangladesh Railway operates a mixed-gauge network — a colonial inheritance of broad gauge and metre gauge that complicates through-running and rolling stock deployment. Much of the network is single-track, capping frequency regardless of demand. Rolling stock and signalling require sustained investment. And the operator's financial position has historically depended on subsidy.
New lines are visible and politically rewarding. Signalling upgrades, double-tracking and gauge conversion are none of those things, and they determine capacity more than route length does.
The Direction of Travel
Set against the wider infrastructure programme — the Matarbari deep-sea port, the metro network, the Padma Bridge, the Rooppur power plant — the railway expansion fits a consistent pattern. These are projects that take longer than announced and cost more than budgeted, and that change what the economy is physically able to do.
A country whose exports are moving toward competing on logistics efficiency rather than tariff preference needs freight that moves reliably and cheaply. Rail is the cheapest overland option Bangladesh has, and for the first time in decades the network is growing rather than shrinking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a train from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar?
Yes. Two direct intercity services — the Cox's Bazar Express and the Parjatak Express — run from Kamalapur Station, taking roughly 8.5 hours with stops at Dhaka Airport Station and Chittagong.
When did the Cox's Bazar railway open?
December 2023, following completion of the 101-kilometre Dohazari–Cox's Bazar line.
Does the Padma Bridge carry trains?
Yes. The bridge carries both road and rail, connecting the southwestern districts to the national rail network.
Will Bangladesh's railway connect to the Dhaka metro?
That is the plan. MRT Line 6 is being extended to Kamalapur Railway Station, and MRT Line 1 — linking the airport, Kamalapur and Purbachal — is scheduled to open in December 2030.
Related reading
- Dhaka's Metro Carries 400,000 People a Day — and Is Still Growing
- Matarbari: The Deep-Sea Port That Changes Bangladesh's Trade Map
- Dhaka's Third Terminal Will Double the Airport's Capacity
- Mongla Port Gets Its Own Industrial Zone
Sources
- "Cox's Bazar Beach" and Bangladesh Railway service information — en.wikipedia.org
- "Dhaka Metro Mass Rapid Transit System, Bangladesh," Railway Technology — railway-technology.com
- "Economic impact of Padma Bridge," The Daily Star — thedailystar.net
- "MRT Line 1 (Dhaka Metro Rail)," Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
