A new intercity train service connecting Dhaka and Rajshahi began test run this morning with an aim to boost rail connectivity with the northern district. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the service through a video conference. It was she who named the train after the famous heroine of poet Jibanananda Das.
The train will be running up and down Dhaka-Rajshahi six days of the week with Fridays off.
The train is scheduled to depart Rajshahi at 7:00 a.m. every day and reach Dhaka at 11.00 a.m. It will leave again from Dhaka at 1:30 p.m and reach Rajshahi at 5:30 p.m.
Three intercity trains – Silk City, Padma and Dhumketu express – are currently operating on the Rajshahi-Dhaka route with a six-and-half hour journey time.