Sonar Bangla, Bijoy expresses set to get modern coaches 16 August

The non-stop Sonar Bangla Express, operating on the Dhaka-Chattogram route, and the Bijoy Express, on the Chattogram-Mymensingh route, are scheduled to receive new high-quality coaches on 16 August this year.

According to the railway authorities, the upgrade will entail 18 high-speed coaches imported from South Korea for Sonar Bangla, which will allow an additional 300 passengers to ride the train. Simultaneously, the Bijoy Express will be equipped with 16 coaches, 14 of which will be sourced from the Sonar Bangla Express' red and green coaches, providing room for an extra 90 passengers.

Tapos Kumar Das, chief mechanical engineer of the east zone of Bangladesh Railway, said the new coaches from South Korea are designed with stainless steel bodies, automatic sliding doors, bio-toilets, and other modern facilities.

He also revealed that trains on other routes will gradually receive similar high-quality coaches in the future.

Ratan Kumar Chowdhury, manager of Chattogram railway station, on Saturday, told TBS that the new coaches from South Korea had been on a trial run for the past five days. Once the new coaches are added, the passenger capacity of Sonar Bangla Express will increase to 890 from 584, enhancing the demand for tickets and potentially boosting income.

Furthermore, the capacity of the Bijoy Express, which currently accommodates 652 passengers, will rise to 741 after incorporating the new coaches.

Due to the high demand for non-air-conditioned tickets, additional non-AC coaches will be introduced for the Bijoy Express, Ratan concluded.