For the past five years a Mango Special Train has carried mangoes from the Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi region to the capital at low cost. But after losses in previous years, whether it runs this year has become largely "uncertain".

Ahsan Ullah Bhuiyan, chief operating superintendent of West Zone Railway in Rajshahi, told Jago News that the Mango and Cattle Special trains are more likely not to run this year.

For the past five years farmers have sent mangoes to Dhaka by train at a fare of Tk 1.47 a kg from Chapainawabganj and Tk 1.43 a kg from Rajshahi.

In the same way, trains were introduced to carry sacrificial animals cheaply for Eid-ul-Azha. In 2024 no separate cattle train ran, but sacrificial animals were carried in two wagons of the Mango Special Train.

According to West Zone Railway statistics, the Mango Special Train earned only Tk 48 lakh 29 thousand 140 over the five years from 2020 to 2024, while fuel for running it on the Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route cost Tk 92 lakh 91 thousand. The five Mango Special trains lost half a crore taka.

Paksey divisional transport officer Hasina Khatun told Jago News that the Mango and Cattle Special trains had been discussed at a meeting, but West Zone Railway had said nothing further. "I cannot say whether it will run or not," she said.

Ahsan Ullah Bhuiyan said every intercity and mail train bound for Dhaka has a luggage van, and growers and traders can send mangoes from Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi to Dhaka cheaply in those vans if they wish.

He added that running the train has become largely uncertain because traders and growers have not shown interest in booking mangoes at the level the railway needs.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.