Usual hustle and bustle of passengers missing from Khulna rly station

KHULNA, July 02 (UNB): At Khulna Railway Station, the usual hustle and bustle of passengers is missing these days.
Only a handful of people now come here to board Dhaka-bound trains, with most commuters preferring to take buses to their destination to save time -- all thanks to the country's most coveted Padma Bridge.
Ashrafi Chumki, a resident of Mistripara in Khulna city, said, "Now we can reach Dhaka in a short period of time by bus and we can also enjoy the scenic beauty of the Padma Bridge. Earlier, it was a hassle as we needed to book train tickets in advance."
Railway sources say that the number of train passengers has declined to half over the past week, post-opening of the bridge.
Moreover, the plying of only two trains -- Sundarban Express and Chitra Express -- on the Dhaka-Khulna route contributed to the unusual rush at the station earlier.
"After the opening of the Padma Bridge, I prefer travelling by bus to Dhaka from Khulna as the journey takes barely four hours," said Motahar Rahman Babu, a resident of the Tutpara area in Khulna city.