Bangladesh Railway is set to increase passenger fares on several major routes under its Eastern Zone as a uniform pontage charge – an additional fare based on bridge usage – is being introduced across 11 bridges.
The revised fares will come into effect on 20 December, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, Public Relations officer of the Ministry of Railways.
Under the new calculation, the Dhaka–Chattogram, Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka–Sylhet routes will all see fare adjustments. On the Dhaka–Chattogram route, the billable distance has been revised from 346 km to 381 km, resulting in a rise of Tk45 for non-stop Shovan Chair tickets, now priced at Tk495. The AC Seat fare has increased by Tk108 to Tk1,133. Stopping intercity trains will also see gains, with Shovan Chair tickets set at Tk 450 and AC Seat tickets at Tk857.
The Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route will experience some of the most significant increases, as the fare distance has been expanded from 535km to 583km. For non-stop services, the AC Berth fare has jumped by Tk214 to Tk2,644, while the AC Seat fare has risen by Tk138 to Tk1,728. Shovan Chair passengers will now pay Tk754, up by Tk59 from the previous rate.
Passengers travelling to Sylhet will also face higher costs, with the revised fare distance moving from 319km to 350km. The Shovan Chair fare on intercity trains has increased by Tk35 to Tk410, while the AC Seat fare has climbed by Tk69 to Tk788. The AC Berth fare is now Tk1,465, reflecting an increase of Tk127.
The authorities noted that similar fare adjustments in the Western Zone have already taken effect following the imposition of the pontage charge there. Once the new charges are applied in the Eastern Zone, railway officials say fare structures across the two zones will become more uniform and consistent.
