Published: 12:25 AM, 12 October 2026
3 pairs of special trains for Puja rush
Bangladesh Railway has decided to run three pairs of special trains to ensure convenient and safe travel for homebound passengers during the Durga Puja holidays. Also, the weekly days off for five regular services have been cancelled. The decisions were made at a preparatory meeting held at the road transport ministry on Sunday, according to Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, senior information officer for the railways ministry.
He said that to cope with the influx of passengers, the weekly day off for the eastern region's Cox's Bazar Express scheduled for Oct 19 and 20 has been withdrawn.
In the western region, the day off for the Jahanabad Express and Ruposhi Bangla Express on Oct 19, the Padma Express on Oct 20, and the Modhumoti Express on Oct 24 have also been cancelled.
The official festivities for Durga Puja will begin on Oct 16 this year.
The government has declared a two-day holiday by executive order for Durga Puja.
Combined with the two-day weekend, people will enjoy a five-day break in total.
However, the government has issued a gazette notification stating that offices will remain open on the preceding Saturday.
Schedule for special trains:
o Dhaka Special-3 will operate on the Chattogram-Dhaka route on Oct 20.
o Tourist Special-1 and 2 will run on the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka route on Oct 20, 23, and 24.
o Chattogram Special-4 will operate on the Dhaka-Chattogram route on Oct 24.
