Rail communication on the Dhaka-Chattogram route resumed late Wednesday night after being suspended for more than two hours due to simultaneous mechanical failures involving two trains in Nangalkot upazila of Comilla.

Services on the up line were restored around 10:30pm, following rescue operations that removed the engine of the Sonar Bangla Express, which had broken down near Hasanpur station.

The disruption began around 8:00pm when the Chattogram to Dhaka bound Sonar Bangla Express suffered an engine failure on the up line shortly after crossing Gunabati station, said Omar Faruq Bhuiyan, station master of Laksam Junction.

At the same time, the Chattogram to Chandpur bound Meghna Express derailed when its rear guard brake coach went off the track on the down line, he added.

With both up and down lines blocked, train movement on the Dhaka-Chattogram corridor came to a complete halt. Several trains were stranded at different stations and along the route, causing significant inconvenience to thousands of passengers.

Railway rescue teams quickly reached the site and began recovery operations. Once the Sonar Bangla Express engine was removed and taken to Gunabati station, services on the up line resumed after about two and a half hours.

Faruq said recovery efforts for the derailed coach of the Meghna Express were still ongoing. Train services on the down line will resume once the coach is cleared, he said.