Rail links with Khulna cut off for nine hours

Rail communication between Khulna and the rest of the country resumed yesterday afternoon, about nine hours after two freight  trains collided near Darshana International Railway Station in Chuadanga in the morning.

The railway authorities have suspended three employees -- two drivers and a stationmaster -- and formed a probe body to investigate the matter.

Three people including the train drivers -- Raihan Hasan and Jewel Hossain -- were injured in the accident.

Chuadanga Railway Station Master Abdul Khaleque said the accident occurred when a Parbatipur-bound train carrying oil collided head-on with another freight train coming from Ishwardi around 5:50am.

Four carriages of the Parbatipur-bound train derailed following the collision.

As a result, rail communications on Khulna-Dhaka, Khulna-Goalanda, Khulna-Rajshahi, Khulna-Saidpur, Khulna-Parbatipur and Khulna-Rangpur routes got snapped.

A salvage train from Ishwardi Railway Station of West Zone lifted the carriages and restored the rail link at 3:40pm, Abdul Khaleque said.

Insiders said the shipping train coming from Ishwardi for Darshana International Railway Station wrongly entered Darshana Halt Station leading to the accident.

Contacted, driver Raihan Hasan alleged that Darshana Station did not send any signal for not entering the halt station.

However, Darshana Station Master Hafizur Rahman said the accident occurred because of a mistake of the train coming from Ishwardi.

“The track was clear for the train coming from Khulna, so it was not necessary to show signal the other way,” Hafizur said.

After the incident, the West Zone authorities suspended Raihan, Jewel and Hafizur.