A major mishap was narrowly avoided on Monday night when the engine of the Dhaka-bound Tourist Express train detached, leaving 19 coaches with nearly 900 passengers on board stranded near Komolmunshir Hat station in Patiya upazila.
The incident occurred around 9:30 pm, railway officials confirmed. While no injuries were reported, passengers were left trapped inside the stationary coaches for over an hour, causing significant distress and panic, reports UNB.
According to railway sources, the train had departed Cox’s Bazar as scheduled. However, upon reaching Komolmunshir Hat, the buffer hook and hose pipe of the engine reportedly broke, causing the locomotive to separate from the rest of the train and continue toward Chattogram alone.
The 19 coaches remained idle on the tracks until around 11 pm, when a rescue engine was dispatched from Pahartali Railway Station in Chattogram to retrieve them.
Patiya Station Master Mohammad Pavel confirmed the development, stating, “A support engine was sent from Chattogram to transport the passengers safely to their destination.”
Passengers, many of whom were families and elderly travellers, reported panic and confusion during the incident, citing a lack of immediate information and support.
This is the second such incident in recent weeks. On July 26, a guard brake coach of the Cox’s Bazar Express became detached from the main train at Gomdondi Station in Boalkhali upazila, halting the service for nearly 30 minutes before the rest of the train resumed its journey.
The recurrence of such technical failures has raised concerns over the safety and maintenance of railway operations, particularly on newly introduced tourist route
