More than 100 people have died in train-related accidents along the Chattogram–Cox's Bazar railway in nearly three years since commercial services began, with 56 authorised level crossings on the 152km route lacking safety barriers and gatekeepers.
Despite repeated fatalities since services began in December 2023, Bangladesh Railway has largely responded by forming committees, making recommendations and drawing up plans.
Efforts to secure unprotected crossings remain stalled by bureaucratic hurdles, while authorities continue to rely on warning signs and public awareness to reduce accidents.
Sujan Kanti Dey, officer-in-charge of Government Railway Police Station in Chattogram, told TBS that 191 people died in train-related accidents across Chattogram, Cox's Bazar and Feni between 2024 and September 2026.
Of them, 102 deaths occurred along the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route, he said, adding that the route recorded 27 deaths in 2024, 43 in 2025 and 31 through 30 September 2026.
Unprotected crossings fuel fatalities
Many of the deaths occurred when trains struck vehicles at level crossings or people were run over while crossing the tracks. The absence of barriers and adequate gatekeepers has left several crossings dangerously exposed.
On 20 September, the Prabal Express crushed an autorickshaw at the Katghar-Alamgir Road crossing near BOC Mor in Satkania, killing two people.
Locals subsequently blocked the railway line and detained the train, demanding gatekeepers and improved safety measures.
On 31 August, a youth was killed by a train in Ramu's Shikdarpara of Cox's Bazar. Earlier that month, an unidentified woman died after being run over in Harbang, Chakaria, while a man was killed after being struck by the Cox's Bazar Express in Lohagara on 29 August.
In one of the deadliest incidents, five people were killed on 2 August 2025 when a CNG-run autorickshaw became stranded at the Dhalirchhara railway crossing in Ramu. The Dhaka-bound Cox's Bazar Express hit the vehicle and dragged it nearly a kilometre before stopping.
The route comprises a newly built 101km railway from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar and a renovated 47km section from Chattogram to Dohazari. Four pairs of trains currently operate on the route, with services expected to increase, potentially raising accident risks.
56 crossings without barriers
According to Bangladesh Railway data, 56 of the 99 authorised level crossings along the 152km route have neither gatekeepers nor safety barriers. All 56 are located on the newly built section.
The railway also has 77 unauthorised crossing points. On the older Chattogram-Dohazari section alone, there are 27 authorised crossings and 47 illegal access points.
At unprotected crossings, authorities have largely relied on warning signs telling pedestrians and vehicles to cross at their own risk.
The risk is particularly acute on the 17km Islampur-Ramu section, which has 17 level crossings but only one equipped with a gate and gatekeeper.
Railway officials said crossings are classified according to traffic volume and road width. Of 72 crossings assessed under the relevant classification system, 16 fall under categories A and B, which require gatekeepers and barriers, while the remaining 56 are classified as category C.
Mohammad Sabuktagin, project director of the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway project and additional director general of Bangladesh Railway, told this newspaper that crossing requirements had been determined through traffic surveys and approvals under railway procedures.
Problems arise when the Local Government Engineering Department, municipalities or union parishads widen or pave roads without informing the railway authorities, he said.
Safety upgrades face delays
Following repeated accidents, railway authorities formed a committee that recommended installing gates and appointing gatekeepers at 10 crossings on the new route. However, implementation remains pending.
Mostafizur Rahaman Bhuiyan, divisional railway manager in Chattogram, told TBS that people living beside the railway often create unofficial paths across the tracks, exposing themselves to danger.
He said 22 illegal crossings on the older railway section had already been closed, but people continued to create alternative routes.
Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Railway's eastern zone Md Tanvirul Islam said the proposed upgrades would require at least 30 gatekeepers for the 10 crossings. Implementation would take time because of staff shortages, budget constraints and approval procedures.
He suggested that local stakeholders, including market associations and road users, could help fund gatekeepers' salaries, following arrangements used at some other railway crossings.
Mahmud Omar Imam, a former professor of civil engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, said busy crossings must have barriers and round-the-clock gatekeepers.
He also called for railway signalling systems with warning bells and red lights to alert road users when trains approach, particularly at bends where approaching trains cannot be seen from a distance.
Such systems are relatively simple and inexpensive to install, he said, questioning why they were not incorporated into the railway project.