Pohela Boishakh — the Bengali New Year celebrated on April 14 — is one of Bangladesh's most joyful and widely observed cultural celebrations. Millions of people across the country celebrate with colourful processions, traditional music, fairs, and family gatherings. The government has declared April 14, 2026 as a public holiday, with many workplaces also granting April 13 as a holiday, creating a 4-day weekend when combined with the preceding Friday and Saturday.
Bangladesh Railway traditionally runs extended and special services on Pohela Boishakh to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic as people travel to their home districts, popular fair venues, and tourist destinations. For 2026, Bangladesh Railway is expected to announce:
- Additional trains on the Dhaka–Rajshahi, Dhaka–Chittagong, and Dhaka–Sylhet corridors departing April 12–14. - Extended service hours at Kamalapur, Chittagong, and Sylhet stations from 6 AM to midnight. - Special feeder services from Kamalapur to Narayanganj, Gendaria to Comilla, and Airport station to Mymensingh to manage passenger distribution. - Additional Dhaka Metro Rail MRT Line-6 services on April 14 itself to manage the Mongol Shobhajatra procession area crowds near Motijheel and Shahbagh.
Travel advice for Pohela Boishakh 2026: Book tickets for April 12–14 as soon as the booking window opens (10 days in advance). Avoid travelling on April 14 itself if possible — stations are extremely crowded and trains run with full passenger loads. If attending Mongol Shobhajatra (the UNESCO-recognized art procession in Dhaka), use the Metro Rail rather than trains to travel within Dhaka, as road traffic is severely restricted near the University of Dhaka campus.
For those travelling to Rajshahi's Padma riverbank festival or Chittagong's Pahartali cultural events, Silk City Express (765) and Subarna Express (701) are the recommended services — book immediately.