ALCo (American Locomotive Company) DL537 locomotive, #6409 at Rajshahi station

The Bangladesh Railway, a principle transportation agency of the country, is a Government – owned and Government – managed organization. It covers a length of 2,855 route kilometers, employing a total of 34,168 regular employees. Watch a video of a Bangladeshi locomotive at the station in Rajshahi.

The Bangladesh Railway website isn’t well-developed, but does have a master schedule in English, helpful, because there may not be an English one at your station, which includes the main Kamlapur station in the capital city of Dhaka.

One of the first things the seasoned Western traveler to Bangladesh will encounter is the lack of signage in English. To us here at WoWasis, it was most apparent beginning with the main train station in the country’s capital of Dhaka. There is zero signage in English and even the numbers are listed in Bengali. Which means good luck on finding the right ticket window, a discernible train schedule, the right platform, or the right train carriage. In addition, uniformed train personnel are nearly impossible to find. But there is a solution, which is exactly the solution you’ll need to every dilemma and question in the country. The solution is the friendly Bangladeshi people.

Bengladeshis will always come to your aid, in big ways. We’ve had then lead us to the proper ticket windows, to our train cars, and even lend us sleeping bags on cold winter trains (neither trains nor hotels have heaters in Bangladesh).

We recommend that Westerners buy a first class ticket when possible. Buy it in advance, as you never know if a particular train will be sold out. On an overnight train, we further recommend buying all three seats in a berth, so you can lie down and fall asleep. If it’s a cold time of year, bring something really warm, as the cars are drafty and unheated.

There is no guarantee that your train will depart on time, and waits of two hours are not uncommon. Hang tight, buy some peanuts, and enjoy watching your fellow travelers.