RAJSHAHI, June 8, 2023 (BSS) - Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, MP, opened a 'mango special train' service on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route via Rajshahi at Chapainawabganj Railway station today (Thursday) as the chief guest.

Ziaur Rahman, MP, Abul Hossain, MP, Samil Uddin Ahmed Simul, MP, Zila Parishad Chairman Ruhul Amin and Deputy Commissioner Galib Khan were present on the occasion.

The West Zone of Bangladesh Railway launched the special train on the route for the fourth consecutive time for the benefit of the growers and traders.
 
Asim Kumar Talukder, general manager of the zone said the initiative has also been taken to transport mangoes at a lower cost for the welfare of the mango traders and farmers.
 
The train with capacity of around 300 tonnes will depart from Chapainawabganj at 6 pm and will leave Rajshahi station at 7.30 pm and it will reach Dhaka at 1.15am.
 
The cargo train will carry maximum mangoes in eight or nine wagons every day. So, farmers and traders can transport goods at their will. It will cost Taka 1.17 to carry a kilogram of mango to Dhaka from Rajshahi and Taka 1.30 from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka.
 
Asim Talukder clarified that transport of mangoes in the special train would cost Taka 1,117 per ton whereas courier services cost Taka 20,000 per ton and private trucks cost around Taka 2,000 a ton.
 
The train will make a stoppage for loading mangoes at 11 stations on the Chapainawabganj-Dhaka railway route via Rajshahi. The parcel train may have stoppages at other stations based on parcel booking and unloading.
 
In addition to mango, there is provision of carrying all kinds of vegetables, seasonal fruits, eggs and other agricultural products at a less cost in the special train. The railway porters will conduct all sorts of loading and unloading works of the goods.
 
To this end, the porters were imparted need-based training on how to handle the goods from booking to loading as well to unloading properly.

In 2020 last, the Mango Special Train was launched for the first time in the wake of growers' transportation problems.
 
"We have earned Taka 9.30 lakh revenue by transporting 857 tonnes of mango, litchi and other agricultural products," Talukder added.
 
Officials said mango was cultivated on 26,150 hectares of land in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts where it's expected to yield 2,44,000 tonnes of mangoes this year.
 
Mango groves were also nurtured on 12,671 hectares of land in Naogaon district where the target was fixed to produce 1,61,242 tonnes of mangoes while in Natore district it is expected to produce 56,021 tonnes of mangoes on 4,823 hectares of land.