Oil train derails: More than 1,500 passengers stranded in Sylhet due to communication disruption
951 BTO (oil wagon) from Chittagong to Sylhet derailed at Shayestganj Mantala in Habiganj. This has disrupted rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of the country. More than 1,500 passengers are stranded at Sylhet Railway Station due to the suspension of train services.
The derailment occurred at around 9 pm on Wednesday (April 1) while passing Mantala local station in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj.
As a result, all trains plying on the Sylhet-Chittagong and Dhaka routes are stranded and passengers are suffering. There is uncertainty as to whether the trains will reach their starting stations or not. The intercity Udayan Express from Sylhet to Chittagong and the Upaban Express to Dhaka did not leave Sylhet at 11:30 pm.
Sylhet Railway Station Manager Nurul Islam told us that more than 1,500 passengers of the Chittagong-bound intercity Udayan Express and Dhaka-bound Upaban Express were stranded due to the accident. Their ticket money is being refunded.
Nazrul Islam, Loco In-Charge of Akhaura Junction, said, “We received the news at around 9:15 pm. Rescue trains from Akhaura and Dhaka have left for the scene to rescue the crashed UP train. Meanwhile, it is learned that after the 951 BTO (oil wagon) train met with an accident, local people rushed to collect oil from the wagon.
It is worth noting that on February 14, 2021, 4 oil wagons from Chittagong to Sylhet were derailed in the Bhatera area of Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar district. Earlier, on February 5 of that year, an oil train derailed near Maijgaon railway station in Fenchuganj on its way from Chittagong to Sylhet, in which seven out of 10 coaches were damaged. An oil-laden train derailed in Fenchuganj, Sylhet, damaging about 800 meters of railway track. The accident spilled 160,000 liters of oil. Rail communication with Sylhet across the country was closed for about 28 hours. Another oil-laden wagon derailed on this route in March 2026. The accident occurred at a time when there was an oil crisis across the country.
