8 pairs of trains chartered 

The interim government has chartered eight pairs of special trains to ferry students from across the country to Dhaka to join the official day of unveiling of the July Declaration.

The ceremony is set to take place on August 5 in front of the National Parliament, with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to read out the Declaration.

Sources within the Ministry of Railways confirmed that the initiative followed a formal request from the Directorate of July Mass Uprisings to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, which subsequently directed the Railway Ministry to arrange the transportation.

The cost of hiring the eight pairs of trains has been fixed at approximately Tk 30.46 lakh to be borne by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.

According to railway authorities, students from districts including Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Faridpur, Gazipur, Narsingdi, and Narayanganj will arrive in Dhaka between 2:00pm and 3:00pm on Tuesday.

Their return journey is scheduled between 8:00pm and 9:00pm the same day. The trains vary in capacity and route, as a 16-coach train from Chattogram will carry 892 passengers at a cost of over Tk 7 lakh, while a 14-coach train from Rangpur with 638 seats has been priced at approximately Tk 10.5 lakh. Trains from Rajshahi, Sylhet, Bhanga, Joydevpur, Narsingdi, and Narayanganj are also scheduled, with fares ranging from Tk 56,500 to over Tk 4 lakh.

Railway officials clarified that these special trains are operated under existing policy, which permits chartered services for large-scale public events at rates 30 percent higher than regular fares.