A brazen act of sabotage has disrupted rail services between Dhaka and Panchagarh after thieves successfully pilfered the condenser coils from a moving train’s air-conditioning unit. The theft, which occurred under the cover of darkness, rendered a premium AC coach completely inoperable, forcing railway authorities to decouple the carriage and adjust the train’s schedule.
The Incident at a Glance
On Wednesday night, the Drutojan Express departed Dhaka at 8:45 pm, arriving at Panchagarh station the following morning at 7:55 am. Upon inspection by the electrical department, it was discovered that the condenser coils—critical components located on the roof of the carriage—had been stripped away while the train was in transit.
As a result of the damage, the Panchagarh Express, which was scheduled to depart for the capital at 12:20 pm on Thursday, was forced to leave without the affected coach. Railway officials confirmed that the train will continue its operations with 12 carriages instead of the standard 13 until at least 21 February, pending specialist repairs.
Operational and Passenger Impact
The sidelined coach contained 78 premium seats. While no bookings originated from Panchagarh for this specific carriage, several passengers from Thakurgaon and Dinajpur had secured tickets. In a swift response, railway authorities contacted the affected travellers on Wednesday night to facilitate full refunds.
Summary of Service Disruption
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Affected Train | Panchagarh Express (Down) |
| Component Stolen | AC Condenser Coils |
| Seating Loss | 78 Seats (AC Class) |
| Current Composition | 12 Coaches (Standard: 13) |
| Expected Recovery | Post 21 February |
| Refund Status | Fully Disbursed to Affected Passengers |
A Growing Security Concern
This is not an isolated incident. Staff at the Panchagarh railway electrical department have expressed growing alarm over the frequency of such thefts. According to on-ground technicians, gangs of thieves have mastered the dangerous technique of boarding moving trains to access the roof-mounted cooling systems.
Station Master Zahidul Islam noted that the electrical team immediately flagged the missing components upon the train’s arrival. “Once we realised the air conditioning was non-functional due to the theft, we had no choice but to cancel the coach and stop all further ticket sales for that carriage,” he explained.
The railway police have reportedly launched an investigation into the matter, though the vast stretches of unmonitored tracks between Dhaka and North Bengal make policing such thefts a significant logistical challenge. For now, passengers on the Panchagarh Express route will face reduced capacity as the authorities scramble to secure the fleet.
