The first batch includes three AC chair coaches, 11 Shovan chair coaches, an AC berth coach and a luggage van.
TBS Report
16 October, 2026, 05:00 pm
Last modified: 16 October, 2026, 05:04 pm
Bangladesh has received the first 18 of the 200 broad-gauge passenger railway coaches being procured from India – which are expected to improve passenger services in the western region once they enter service.
The coaches arrived at Darshana Railway Station in Chuadanga around 3pm today (16 October) through the Darshana-Joynagar checkpoint. Officials from Bangladesh Railway's Pakshi division received the consignment.
The coaches began their journey from Kapurthala in India's Punjab state on 12 October. They then stopped at Ranaghat station near Kolkata before travelling through the Gede border checkpoint and entering Bangladesh.
After customs formalities at Darshana, the coaches will be taken to Bangladesh Railway's workshop in Saidpur for inspection and testing before being added to its fleet.
The coaches are painted red and green. The first batch includes AC chair coaches, an AC berth coach, Shovan chair coaches and a luggage van.
Robiul Islam, divisional mechanical engineer of Bangladesh Railway's Pakshi division, told The Business Standard that new coaches were expected to improve passenger services in the western region and help increase railway revenue.
"The coaches are modern and of good quality," he added.
Locals welcomed the new coaches but called for repairs to existing ones, saying many were in poor condition.
Abdul Awal, a resident of Darshana, said the new coaches looked attractive and urged passengers to keep them clean.
He said existing coaches in the region were in poor condition.
In May 2024, the government signed an agreement to procure 200 broad-gauge passenger railway coaches from India's RITES Limited. The coaches are to be delivered in phases, with the remaining 182 expected to arrive in subsequent batches.