Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated 46 new locomotives by waving a green flag while blowing a whistle.
With the Eid holidays looming, Hasina expressed her hope that the 30 metre-gauge and 16 broad-gauge engines will help ensure smoother travels for homebound passengers, reports bdnews24.com.
“We’ll be celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr in a few days and more people will be travelling. I believe the new locomotives will ensure better travels and enable them to join the Eid festivities at their homes,” the prime minister said on Wednesday.
She also thanked the authorities for turning a broad gauge and a metre gauge locomotive into the ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Mobile Rail Museum’ as part of the Father of the Nation's birth centenary celebrations.
“People will know more about the Father of the Nation’s struggle to earn independence for Bangladesh through this museum.”
Recalling the aftermath of Bangabandhu's assassination in 1975, Hasina noted the attempts to "erase the name of the Father of the Nation from history".
"They banned the historic Mar 7 speech and the Joy Bangla slogan. Nobody could utter the name of Bangabandhu or display his picture," she said.
”But history follows its own course. Nobody can suppress history. Today, Bangabandhu’s contributions and his speech on Mar 7, 1971, have received global recognition."
People will learn about the life of Bangabandhu, the emergence of Bangladesh and the history of its independence through the mobile rail museum, according to the Awami League chief.
