Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is the ninth-largest and seventh-most densely populated city in the world. Dhaka is a megacity, and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2022, and a population of over 22.4 million residents in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. It is widely considered to be the most densely populated built-up urban area in the world. Dhaka is the most important cultural, economic, and scientific hub of Eastern South Asia, as well as a major Muslim-majority city. Dhaka ranks third in South Asia and 39th in the world in terms of GDP. Lying on the Ganges Delta, it is bounded by the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari and Shitalakshya rivers. Dhaka is also the largest Bengali-speaking city in the world.
Transport in Bangladesh is dominated by roadways, accounting for the majority of both passenger and cargo traffic due to substantial development efforts since independence. Eight major national highways connect the capital, Dhaka, with divisional and district headquarters, port cities, and international routes. Despite this, vehicle usage per capita remains low, with non-motorised modes prevailing. However, Bangladesh's roads are unsafe, having one of the highest road accident fatality rates. They also suffer from high congestion, as well as severe air and noise pollution.
Darshana is a border railway station in Darsana, Bangladesh, situated in Damurhuda Upazila of Chuadanga District, in Khulna Division. It is a rail transit point and a border checkpoint on the India-Bangladesh border.
Sylhet, is a metropolitan city located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. It is the administrative center of Sylhet Division and is situated on the banks of the Surma River. Sylhet is the fifth-largest city in Bangladesh, with a population of around 700,000 people.
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station established in 1960, is an A1 category broad-gauge and narrow-gauge railway station under Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone. It is the largest and the busiest railway junction of northern Bengal. This junction is largest among the railway stations which serve the city of Siliguri, the largest metropolis of the North Bengal. The other stations are- Siliguri Junction, Gulma, Bagdogra, Matigara, Rangapani and Siliguri Town. New Jalpaiguri junction ranked 10th cleanest railway station in India in 2016 survey and came among the top 100 booking stations of Indian railway. New Jalpaiguri, as a railway station serves as the entry point to North Bengal, Sikkim, other countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the seven northeastern states. New Jalpaiguri Junction acts as a connecting base of railways for the northeastern states to the Indian mainland.
Rangpur, is one of the major cities in Bangladesh and Rangpur Division. Rangpur is located in the northwestern part of Bangladesh.
Saidpur is a city of Nilphamari district in Rangpur Division of Bangladesh. The city has become a very important communication hub for adjoining major district headquarters. Saidpur Airport is one of the domestic airports in Bangladesh. The Syedpur Railway Workshop, established in 1870, is the largest in Bangladesh and was the major railway workshop for Assam-Bengal railway. The city has historically been an Urdu-speaking community with close ties to Bihar.
Bangladesh Railway is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains all railways in the country, and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Railway. The Bangladesh Railway is governed by the Ministry of Railways and the Bangladesh Railway Authority. Its reporting mark is "BR".
Dhaka Cantonment is a Cantonment located in the northern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Army and Air Force are situated within the cantonment which combined form the Armed Forces of Bangladesh. The cantonment is located on the north-east end of Dhaka.
Airport railway station or Biman Bandar railway station is a railway station in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Situated opposite to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, it can be accessed from the Airport Road.
The Maitree Express (13109/13110) train, often pronounced Moitree Express, is the first modern day, fully air conditioned, international, express train service connecting Dhaka in Bangladesh to Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Bengali name Maitree Express means Friendship Express when translated to English, denoting the significance of the train service to the friendly foreign relations between India and Bangladesh. Previously train services between the two countries existed before the partition of India by the British and the Maitree Express re-established this connection between Dhaka and Kolkata in 2008 after being closed for 43 years. In 2017 a second train service, the Bandhan Express, was inaugurated connecting Kolkata with the Bangladeshi city of Khulna, recreating the previous Barisal Express train route.
Transport between India and Bangladesh bears much historical and political significance for both countries, which possessed no ground transport links for 43 years, starting with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947. The Kolkata–Dhaka Bus (1999) and the Dhaka–Agartala Bus (2001) are the primary road links between the two countries; a direct Kolkata-Agartala running through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is being developed by both countries. The Maitree Express was launched to revive a railway link between Kolkata and Dhaka that had been shut for 43 years.
Gede is the last railway station on the Indian side of the Bangladesh–India border in Krishnaganj CD Block in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The corresponding station on the Bangladesh side is Darshana. It is the terminal station on the Sealdah–Gede section of Kolkata Suburban Railway system. There is a border checkpoint at Gede.
Airport Road, also known as Tongi Diversion Road, a part of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway (N3), is an 8-lane major artery road in Dhaka, that connects Dhaka city, with the Shahjalal International Airport. It is also the main artery that connects Dhaka with the northern suburb of Uttara and the only road that connects Dhaka with northern Districts of Bangladesh and vice versa. Traffic is fairly smooth throughout the road, due to flyovers and interchanges.
The Chilahati–Parbatipur–Santahar–Darshana line is a railway line connecting Chilahati and Darshana, via Parbatipur Junction, Santahar, Abdulpur, Azim Nagar station, Iswardi and Hardinge Bridge in Bangladesh. This track is under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh Railway.
Haldibari Railway Station serves Haldibari town in Cooch Behar district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an active railway transit point on the Bangladesh–India border. Important trains like New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka Cantonment-New Jalpaiguri Mitali Express runs through Haldibari and Kolkata-Haldibari-Kolkata Tri-Weekly Intercity Express, Sealdah-Haldibari-Sealdah Darjeeling Mail originate and terminate at Haldibari Railway Station.
The Bandhan Express train is an international express rail service which runs between the Indian city Kolkata and the Bangladeshi city Khulna every week. It is the second modern day, fully air conditioned passenger train link between the Indian state West Bengal and Bangladesh. The Bengali word Bandhan means bonding when translated to English. It was initially referred to as the Maitree Express II. A valid visa and passport is required before purchasing a ticket for the Bandhan Express train. Tickets are available at Khulna railway station in Bangladesh and at Chitpur Station in Kolkata, India.
The Drutajan Express is an inter-city train of Bangladesh Railway service. It gives service between the capital Dhaka and the northern Panchagarh District. At first it was operated from Dinajpur to Dhaka Cantonment Station, then extended to Panchagarh and Kamalapur. It is one of the fastest and luxury trains in Bangladesh.
The Mitali Express (13131/13132) train is an international express rail service which connects the Indian city of Siliguri with the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka every week. Together with the Maitree Express train and the Bandhan Express train, the Mitali Express train is the third modern-day fully air conditioned passenger train link between the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Both the prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries officially inaugurated the non-stop passenger train with ten compartments on the new 513 km route from Dhaka on 26 March 2021, the day Bangladesh celebrated the golden jubilee of its independence. The prime minister of India was in Dhaka to mark the auspicious occasion of fifty years of independence of Bangladesh. After 56 years of stoppage, this train route recreates the previous Siliguri route between India and Bangladesh. A valid visa and passport is required beforehand to purchase a ticket for the Mitali Express train. Tickets are available at Dhaka Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh and at New Jalpaiguri railway station in Siliguri, India.
Transport in Dhaka consists of a mixture of cars, buses, rickshaws, motorcycles, and pedestrians, all vying for space in an environment where congestion is a daily challenge. The slowest city in the world, average traffic speed is less than seven kilometres per hour (4.3 mph), and congestion was estimated to cost the economy US$6.5 billion in 2020.
