Bangladesh Railway (BR) has announced the launch of a ‘mango special train’ service on June 8 to transport mangoes from Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi to Dhaka. 

The decision comes after nearly half of the mango season has passed. Last year, the government introduced this special train service to assist mango growers in transporting their produce during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The service, however, may only operate for two weeks as BR is required to run a ‘Cattle Special Train’ before the Eid-ul-Azha festival, raising concerns about the feasibility of the mango service. 

If a significant quantity of fruit is pre-booked from other stations, they will also be allowed to send their mangoes.

The transportation cost for a kilogram of mango is Tk 1.3. The mango season in Chapainawabganj began in late May and will continue until mid-July, while mango harvesting in Rajshahi officially started on May 4 and will gain momentum from May 15, according to local reports.

The delay in launching the mango special train service was attributed to various factors, including the inauguration of the Chilahati Express by the Prime Minister on June 4 and activities related to the handover ceremony of 20 Indian locomotives on May 23, as stated by an anonymous BR official.