The train schedules from and to Kamlapur Railway Station in Dhaka have collapsed as the derailment of six compartments of a departing train in the station area on early Friday snapped the signaling system.

Railway officials said that the passengers had to suffer for hours together at the Kamlapur Railway Station throughout Friday due to the collapse in train schedules and that the situation would continue until the completion of repairing the signaling system.

They, however, hoped that the repair works might be completeed by today.

Kamalapur Rail Station manager Masud Sarwar on Friday evening said that rail communications between Dhaka and the rest of the country snapped immediately after the intercity train Panchagarh Express’s six compartments inside the Kamlapur Station at around 12:15am.

Although the rail communication resumed at about 8:00am, after rescuing the derailed compartments, all trains from Kamlapur ran behind the schedules, he said.

Not only that, the derailment eventually caused the collapse of the railway’s automatic signaling systems, further delaying the re-fixing of the train schedules.

More than 40 intercity trains with a capacity to carry around 33,000 passengers run from the Kamlapur Station every day.

Because of the collapse in schedules, hundreds of the rail passengers at the station faced trouble for the whole day.

‘We haven’t canceled any trains. But, many of the passengers unwilling to board on the delayed trains have returned their tickets”, Masud Sarwar said.

Bangladesh Railway director general Sardar Shahadat Ali told New Age on Friday evening that repairing of the signaling system was going on. ‘Hopefully, the signaling systems will come to order tomorrow (Saturday),’ he said.

According to the railway officials, six compartments of the intercity ‘Panchagarh Express’ derailed shortly after departing from Kamalapur at about 12:05am of Friday.

The compartments derailed near the outer U-loop close to the station, causing train operations to a sudden halt.

Since the train was moving at a low speed, no passengers were injured.