The seasonal holiday migration concluded with severe disruptions on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, as significant operational backlogs threw the timetables of two major intercity train services into disarray. The cascading delays left hundreds of northbound passengers stranded for hours at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka, complicating the final phase of the regional festival commute.
The primary disruption centered on the Nilsagar Express, which services the long-distance broad-gauge route between the capital and Chilahati. The delay left large numbers of commuters waiting indefinitely on the central platforms, struggling to plan their departures.
Operations and Impacted Routes
The scheduling breakdown specifically affected passengers bound for the northern divisions of the country. While the Nilsagar Express experienced a severe, open-ended delay, the Ekota Express—running from Dhaka to Panchagarh—faced a shorter, localized delay, which was reflected on the station’s digital display network.
The operational metrics and timetable adjustments for both services are organized in the table below:
| Intercity Service | Scheduled Departure | Displayed Re-schedule | Observed Delay Duration | Primary Route Destination |
| Nilsagar Express | 06:45 am BST | Not announced | Over 4 Hours | Domar / Chilahati |
| Ekota Express | 10:15 am BST | 11:00 am BST | 30 to 45 Minutes | Panchagarh |
Passenger Overcrowding and Commuter Ordeals
The multi-hour delays caused heavy congestion across the terminal, with platforms crowded with luggage and families. Many passengers had arrived during the early hours of the morning to secure their positions, and several were seen sleeping on the platform floors as the wait extended into the afternoon.
Rabiul Islam, a passenger traveling to Domar within the Nilphamari District, reported that he had commuted from Narayanganj to arrive at Kamalapur by 04:00 am, attempting to bypass potential road blocks.
“I opted out of long-distance bus travel specifically because I wanted to avoid highway traffic jams, expecting a smooth and predictable train trip,” Islam noted. “Instead, I have faced a major setback, waiting for over four hours with the train still missing from the platform.”
Another commuter, Lima Akhter, who was traveling toward Rangpur along with her mother Salma Akhter, husband Mominur Rahman, and younger brother Siam, shared a similar account after also completing a 04:00 am transit from Narayanganj.
“The disruption has caused a lot of distress,” Akhter said. “The train is yet to pull into the station, leaving us in complete limbo regarding our departure time.”
Institutional Analysis of the Delay
Md. Kabir Uddin, the Station Manager at Kamalapur Railway Station, addressed the situation by clarifying that the operational backlog was a cumulative result of overcrowding from the preceding 24 hours.
“On Tuesday, the Nilsagar Express was already delayed by an hour and a half upon its departure from Kamalapur,” Station Manager Md. Kabir Uddin stated. “Compounding this, the train carried an exceptional number of extra passengers, which legally and operationally required the driver to travel at a much lower speed to ensure public safety. This prolonged the return leg, resulting in the extended delay today. For the Ekota Express, we are looking at a much shorter delay of roughly 30 to 35 minutes.”