Watching the news, you could be forgiven for thinking that Bangladesh was
not so much a country as a disaster zone. But you'd be surprised. It is a fascinating country with a rich and
varied history and at present fairly few tourists. Bangladesh has a largely British-built rail network linking most
major towns and cities, including Dhaka & Chittagong. The network is divided into two halves, eastern and western,
by the great rivers which divide the country itself. The western network is largely broad gauge, the eastern network
largely metre gauge. Unfortunately, connections between these two networks are often poor. There is a railway
route map at www.railway.gov.bd.
Dhaka - Chittagong by train...
There is a good train service between the capital city, Dhaka, and Bangladesh's
second city, Chittagong. Dhaka & Chittagong are both in the eastern half of the country on the metre-gauge train
network, linked by fast daytime 'InterCity' trains and two good overnight trains with sleeping-cars. The high-quality
InterCity trains are very popular and often leave full, so make reservations at the station as soon as you can. Here
is a timetable of the best trains which you can check at www.railway.gov.bd:
Dhaka ► Chittagong |
|
Train number: |
704 |
4 |
722 |
702 |
2 |
742 |
|
Notes: |
InterCity |
Express |
InterCity |
InterCity |
Mail |
InterCity * |
|
Days: |
daily |
daily |
not Sunday |
not Friday |
Daily |
daily |
| Dhaka depart: |
07:40 |
08:00 |
15:15 |
16:30 |
22:30 |
23:00 |
| Chittagong arrive: |
14:35 |
19:10 |
22:20 |
22:35 |
07:35 |
06:50 |
InterCity = Fast quality train, fully air-conditioned, restaurant car, recommended.
AC class seats, 1st & 2nd class seats.
InterCity * = TURNA EXPRESS. Fast quality train, with air-conditioned
2-berth sleepers, AC & 1st class seats. Recommended.
Express = Slower than InterCity trains. Air-conditioned class seats,
1st & 2nd class seats.
Mail = CHITTAGONG MAIL / Dhaka MAIL. AC class 2-berth sleepers, 1st class
4-berth sleepers, 1st, 2nd, 3rd class seats.
not Sunday = daily except Sundays; not Friday = daily except Fridays.
Chittagong ► Dhaka |
|
Train number: |
701 |
721 |
3 |
703 |
1 |
741 |
|
Notes: |
InterCity |
InterCity |
Express |
InterCity |
Mail |
InterCity * |
|
Days: |
not Friday |
not Sunday |
daily |
daily |
daily |
daily |
| Chittagong depart: |
07:00 |
07:15 |
10:30 |
15:00 |
22:30 |
23:00 |
| Dhaka arrive: |
12:50 |
14:15 |
21:05 |
21:35 |
07:35 |
06:00 |
Fares: |
| Dhaka - Chittagong one-way fares
per person, in Taka... |
| AC class sleeper (2-berth) |
AC class seat |
1st class sleeper
(4-berth) |
1st class seat |
2nd class seat |
|
660 (£6 or $10) |
430 (£4 or $7) |
455 (£4 or, $8) |
290 (£3 or $5) |
150 (£1 or, $2) |
Children under 3 travel free, children aged 3 to 9 half fare. Children
10 and over pay the adult fare.
You can check fares at www.railway.gov.bd.
There is no train service to Cox's Bazaar (Bangladesh's prime beach resort),
but you can take a train from Dhaka to Chittagong then a bus from there. Bus information not available.
