Md. Lavlu Sheikh, Lalmonirhat

Train services on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari rail route have resumed after a 9-day suspension  on Wednesday morning. Train operations returned to normal, drawing crowds of general passengers to the station. For over a hundred vendors who depend on train passengers, livelihood activities have resumed.From 21 to 29 April, local demonstrators had blocked the railway in Patgram and Hatibandha upazilas of Lalmonirhat district, demanding that the intercity train 'Burimari Express' be operated directly from Burimari station to Dhaka. On Tuesday, they also blocked the Dhaka-Burimari highway for several hours by placing tree logs, causing heavy traffic congestion.After nine days of continuous protests, the demonstrators lifted the blockade upon receiving assurances of the prompt launch of the direct Dhaka-Burimari intercity train and the interim arrangement of a dedicated shuttle train connecting Burimari Express to Lalmonirhat station. As a result, operations resumed for four pairs of trains, including one mail train, one commuter train, one express train, and one local train. The 84-kilometer rail line from Lalmonirhat to Burimari has 13 stations, with each of the four train pairs carrying 1,200 to 1,600 passengers daily.Regular passenger and banana trader Abul Kalam said his business had been on hold due to the train shutdown. "This route is affordable, fast, and safe for travel," he said. Another passenger, Akbar Ali, stated that road communication in the area is risky and expensive, so people prefer the train.Train-dependent vendor Nazim Uddin said that with train services resuming, their earnings have returned. Over a hundred vendors support their families by selling goods to train passengers. The suspension had placed them in a livelihood crisis.Protesters noted that the intercity Burimari Express had run directly from Burimari to Dhaka only once, on 12 March 2024. From 13 March onward, it resumed operations from Lalmonirhat again. Railway authorities had promised—at least five times with specific dates—to launch the train directly from Burimari, but those promises were never implemented for unknown reasons.Patgram Municipal BNP President Salauddin Ahmed Opel, who led the protest, said the blockade was lifted upon the assurance of a dedicated shuttle connecting Burimari Express to Lalmonirhat station. He warned that protests would resume if railway authorities delay implementing the full demand of direct service.Lalmonirhat Railway Station Master Nurunnabi Islam confirmed that train services on this route resumed from Wednesday morning. The route sees daily operation of four train pairs—a mail train, a commuter train, an express train, and a local train—with each carrying 1,200 to 1,600 passengers. Passenger flow at the station has increased since the service resumed.Abdullah Al Mamun, Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) of Lalmonirhat Railway, stated that a dedicated shuttle train has been arranged on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari route. The shuttle will carry passengers from Burimari to Lalmonirhat and connect them to Burimari Express. He added that preparations are underway by higher railway authorities to launch the direct Burimari-Dhaka service.