Traveling by train in Bangladesh could be a great experience on your Bangladesh tour. In no way, it will be similar to your experience in Europe or America. You’ll be thrilled watching how people fight to board a train as soon as it arrives in a station, the rush in them to get up and down, all the small vendors trying to sell every kind of thing to the passengers through the windows of the train. It will be a completely different experience. That is why you should have at least one traveling by train in your itinerary on the Bangladesh tour.
Bangladesh has a largely British-built rail network linking most major towns and cities, including Dhaka, Chittagong, and Sylhet. The network is divided into two halves, eastern and western, by the great rivers Jamuna which divides the country itself. The western network is largely broad gauge, and the eastern network largely meters gauge. Bangladesh has 2,855 route kilometers of rail lines. Bangladesh Railway is the state-owned rail transport agency in Bangladesh. It operates and maintains the entire railway network of the country.
Traveling by train is the most popular way of travel in Bangladesh. It is much cheaper than buses, as it is providing services to the nation at a subsidized rate in order to help the country’s economy and for the ease of people. It is better to make a reservation 5-6 days prior to your journey.
Types of trains in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Railway operates 3 types of trains:
- Inter-City Trains: The best quality train, including air-conditioned compartments, restaurant car, AC class seats, 1st class and 2nd class seats.
- Express Trains: Slower than InterCity trains, including air-conditioned compartments, 1st class and 2nd class seats.
- Mail Trains: AC class 2-berth sleepers, 1st class 4-berth sleepers, 1st, 2nd, 3rd class seats.
Inside a train in Bangladesh
Classes at trains in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Railway features mainly three classes of Travel. Air Conditioned Class, First Class, and Second Class. The Second Class is divided into Shovon Chair, Shovon, and Shulov sub-classes. In some trains a separate mail compartment is present. In Inter-City and long-distance trains, a pantry car and a power car is included in the center. All Inter-City trains are partially airconditioned, feature padded leather seats and berths, and provide passengers with on-demand sheets, pillows, blankets, as well as meals and refreshments.
- Tapanukul / First class AC
This is the most expensive class. This air-conditioned coach is present only on popular Inter-City routes. The coaches are carpeted, have sleeping accommodation, ample legroom, and have privacy features like personal coupes. - First class
This class is basically non-air-conditioned. Has sleeping berths, ample legroom. - First class Chair
Seater coach with a total of five seats in a row on broad gauge trains and four seats in a row on meter gauge trains. used for day travel between cities. - 2nd Class – Shovon Chair
The 2nd Class Shovon Chair is basically a seater coach preferred by most of the middle-class passengers. Has a total of five seats in a row on broad gauge trains and four seats in a row on meter gauge trains. - 2nd Class – Shovon
One of the cheapest classes. seats are not very comfortable. - 2nd Class – Shulov
The cheapest accommodation, with seats made of pressed wood or steel and are cushioned. Only found in sub-urban and short-distance routes. Although entry into the compartment is guaranteed, a sitting seat is not guaranteed. These coaches are usually very crowded.
Train schedule in Bangladesh
Trains run every day through the major cities in Bangladesh. Some trains have a day off every week. A complete and latest schedule could be found at the Railway website here.
Sundarban Tour in Budget
Check out our sister company BTA Holidays for a budget Sundarban Tour package in Bangladesh starting from 7,500 TK per person. Private tour available for no extra cost, if you have a group of just 10 people – great option to experience Sundarban with family, relatives, and friends with privacy.
The Maitree Express train traveling between Dhaka & Kolkata
Traveling by train from India to Bangladesh
The “Maitree (Friendship) Express” train was inaugurated on 14 April 2008, the Bengali New Year Day (Pahela Baisakh), between Dhaka and Kolkata taking 13.00 hrs. running time including time taken for customs & immigration formalities. In addition, there is a goods train service from Singhabad and Petrapole in India to Rohanpur and Benapole in Bangladesh, respectively. A new rail link between Agartala, India, and Akhaura was approved by the Government of India in September 2011.
Schedule
Maitree Express runs on a Bi-Weekly basis. BR Rake 3107 will run on Friday from Dhaka to Kolkata, and 3108 Kolkata to Dhaka on Saturday. IR Rake 3109 will run on Tuesday from Kolkata to Dhaka, and 3110 Wednesday from Dhaka to Kolkata.
Fares
- AC First/Cabin – USD 20 +15 % Vat
- AC Chair Car – USD 12+15 % Vat.
- Non-AC Chair Car – USD 8
- 300 Taka Travel Tax to be paid at the time of purchase of ticket for all classes.
A more details could be found at the Railway website here.
GeoRail Bangladesh – Railway information on the map
GeoRail Bangladesh
GeoRail is a magnificent website to get Bangladesh Railway information on a visual map. Currently, it has the following functionalities:
Train Routes
Display the route of all the trains in Bangladesh – intercity trains, express and mail trains, local trains – everything, on a beautiful map. You’ll get a clear idea about the areas the trains go through. Also, you can get all the other useful information about the trains, e.g. the type of carriage, stop time on the stations on the way, a weekly day off of the trains, classes available on the trains, food price, and many others.
Station Schedule
Display the full schedule for every train station in Bangladesh – big and small. Trains are grouped and sorted based on the destinations and time, which makes it a breeze to get the list of all the trains for the destination you are heading to from a particular station. It will also display the position of the station on the map, giving you a clear idea about its location in the country.
Transit Suggestion
Display a list of all the available trains between a given origin and destination station, including the return trains, sorted by departure time. Also, both of the stations will be shown on the map to provide a clear geographical idea about them.
Currently, this is just an experimental release. A lot of exciting features for the travelers will be added to it in the future – based on the information provides on the website.
Here the link of the website: Georail Bangladesh
Ever traveled by train in Bangladesh? Share your experience with us here in the comments!
Check out our 1-7 days Bangladesh tour packages and 8-28 days Bangladesh holiday packages to visit Bangladesh with comfort.
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Sundarban Safari
Bangladesh Photography Tour
Classic Bangladesh
Glories of Bangladesh
Raas Festival Tour
