End of the line: Thousands of passengers stranded, frustrated amid railway staff strike
Railway passengers have faced significant inconvenience since morning as trains scheduled to depart after midnight failed to leave their stations due to the strike of the running staff
Khurshid Akhtar came to Kamalapur Railway Station today (28 January) from Shonir Akhra with her elderly father and child, having purchased tickets earlier.
"Now I hear that the train is not running. What a situation!" she expressed frustration.
She said there was no way she could take his elderly father on a bus.
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"I waited so long, and it doesn't seem like the train will run today. They are repeatedly announcing over the microphone to get ticket refunds. Now I will get a refund and go home," she added.
After waiting continuously until 9am, Khurshida finally returned home with her family.
Railway passengers have faced significant inconvenience since morning as trains scheduled to depart after midnight failed to leave their stations.
Services were suspended nationwide since this morning as the running staff began an indefinite strike demanding pension and gratuity with their mileage allowance.
Passengers who had booked tickets in advance and were unaware of the strike gathered at the stations across the country from early morning, with many returning after waiting for hours.
Md Ibrahim, another passenger at Kamalapur Railway Station, had come from Maniknagar with his sister and sister-in-law to go to Rangpur.
"I wanted to go to Rangpur with my sister and sister-in-law for a very urgent matter. When I came to the station, I learned that train services were suspended. No one can even say when it will start," he said.
Like passengers, even the railway porters are staring at losses.
"We will have to go without food today. If the trains run, we earn something. But if they don't, we have no income. It's already 9am, but I haven't earned enough for breakfast yet," said Tara Mia, one of the porters.
Anger boils over in Rajshahi
Passengers at the Rajshahi Station became agitated upon arriving at the station and discovering that services had been suspended.
The anger soon boiled over as no trains left the station.
Acting Station Master Shaheedul Alam told The Business Standard that passengers vandalised chairs and tables in the station, with some detaining and assaulting two staff members.
Several hundred passengers protested from 7am to 8am, damaging property, including chairs and tables in a ticket inspector's room. Other office doors were locked during the incident.
The situation calmed down after army personnel arrived, and refunds were issued, railway staff said.
Passengers expressed frustration, accusing railway authorities of negligence and demanding accountability.
"Passengers who purchased tickets from the counter were refunded there, while those with online tickets received refunds through mobile banking. The army is now stationed at the station, and the situation is under control," said Rajshahi Railway Station Manager Moyen Uddin as reported by Prothom Alo.
Meanwhile, the suspension of train services has increased passenger pressure on buses.
Liton, a ticket salesperson at Desh Travels' Rajshahi counter, said while the buses were running somewhat empty earlier, now there are no empty buses.
However, passengers have complained about the increase in fares in some cases, especially on long-distance and inter-district routes.
"I was charged Tk550 instead of Tk450," said Idris, a Dhaka-bound passenger.
Tourist buses run on long-distance routes for Ctg passengers
As in other districts, passengers in Chattogram are taking buses as an alternative. Some were even taking long journeys on BRTC's open-top tourist buses.
One such passenger, Ujjal Mia, told The Business Standard, "I have to go home, even if it is on the roof of an open-top bus."
The BRTC buses are being operated in line with the train schedule.
Zulfiqar Ali, manager of the Chattogram Divisional Bus Depot of the BRTC, said, "Out of our total 67 buses, 42 buses usually travel from Chattogram to 35 districts. Since trains are suspended today, 20 more buses are running in line with the train schedule.
"City buses are also being used. Since schools are closed, there are plans to use schools' smart buses for short-distance destinations. We will talk to the district administration. If there is demand, we will run them."
Passengers were also seen returning their rail tickets and getting refunds. According to the Chattogram Railway Station, the railway had sold 3,634 tickets online and offline for a total of 11 trains from Chattogram on various routes. These tickets are being refunded.
In Cox's Bazar, bus transport companies have also increased the number of buses to manage passenger pressure. Some are planning to increase from tomorrow.
Green Line Paribahan's Cox's Bazar in-Charge Abdullah Azam Jewel said they run 10 buses from Cox's Bazar to Dhaka everyday. "However, if the passenger pressure stays like this tomorrow, the number of buses will be increased."
Shyamoli Paribahan Counter Manager in Cox's Bazar's Jhautala, Md Rubel Parvez, said they operate 16 to 18 buses from Cox's Bazar to Dhaka everyday. "Due to the increase in passenger pressure, three additional buses had to be added."
Cox's Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Md Jasim Uddin Chowdhury said, "Bus companies were urged to increase the number of buses if there is a demand from passengers.
"However, a warning has been issued not to charge extra fares in any way."
Travel woes in Brahmanbaria
Passengers in Brahmanbaria were facing significant hardship due to the suspension of train services.
Many travellers were being forced to take alternative road transport, enduring difficulties, while freight operations remained halted, leaving workers idle and incurring financial losses.
At noon, passengers were still seen waiting on the platform at Brahmanbaria Railway Station, hoping for a resumption of services.
Some were obtaining refunds for cancelled tickets, expressing frustration over the lack of prior notice from the railway authorities about the strike.
Meanwhile, the striking running staff have gathered at Akhaura Railway Junction, vowing to continue their protest until their demands are met.
Kabir Ahammad Bhuiyan, convener of the Akhaura branch of the Railway Running Staff Unity Council, told TBS, "It is unreasonable to suddenly stop the benefits granted to running staff for 162 years. The work stoppage will continue until our demands are met. Otherwise, tougher programmes will be announced."
Bogura passengers left astray
The station authorities of the Bogura railway have been informing passengers about the train closure through microphones.
A passenger named Ariful Islam from Naogaon was supposed to go to Dhaka from Santahar station in Bogura in the morning. He said he has to leave the safe journey like the train and take the bus. People can now protest whenever they want. No one sees the danger to people.
Rezaul Karim, a resident of Thakurgaon city, bought a ticket for the Dhaka-bound train this morning because trains are relatively safe for long-distance journeys in the cold and fog.
He said, "The government needs to make a law regarding protests that cause people suffering. No country can run by holding ordinary people hostage like this year after year."
No trains reached Kushtia
At around 1pm Tuesday, it was seen that the Madhumoti Express, which left from Poradaha in Kushtia, had not arrived at the Goalanda-bound Kushtia Court Station until 9am. In addition, the Sundarban Express, which is supposed to leave from Dhaka, and the Madhumoti Express, which was supposed to leave from Rajshahi, had not left.
At this time, numerous passengers crowded in front of the ticket counter. Some are asking when the train will start. Many are demanding a refund of the ticket money as the trains are not operating.
A passenger named Dollar Mahmud said, "I had come to Rajshahi with four family members. But I am going back because the train is not operating. Now I am thinking of taking a bus from the bus terminal, but even if I take the bus, I will be delayed by a day as I will not reach at the scheduled time."
Another passenger, Masud Rana, said, "I bought a train ticket a few days ago to go to Dhaka to see a doctor. When I arrived at the station with my wife and children, I heard that the train was not operating. If I don't go on time, I won't be able to make the doctor's appointment. I won't even get a bus ticket at this time. This situation in the country should change. Whenever something happens, there are protests, and ordinary people like us suffer."
What advisers say
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat this morning, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said the government had resolved overtime issues and allocated funds to meet the reasonable demands of railway staff around 8–10 days ago.
However, additional demands, including gratuity benefits, remain unmet due to financial limitations, he added.
"We have done as much as we could for humanitarian reasons. Considering the current economic situation, meeting further demands is not feasible," he told reporters.
During a visit to Kamalapur station, Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan also urged the running staff to end the strike, saying, "We have repeatedly called for discussions, but they have not responded. Some demands are beyond the railway's authority and fall under the finance department.
"We have already sent letters to them, and they will provide what is reasonable after review."
Why are workers striking?
The running staff of the railway are observing the indefinite strike demanding pension and gratuity with their mileage allowance.
The strike stems from the staff's demands for several unresolved issues, including the inclusion of running allowances in their basic pay for pension calculations.
The railway running staff who are on strike include locomasters, assistant locomasters, sub-locomasters, guards, and ticket checkers.
The running staff often complained that although they have an eight-hour working day, they have to work an average of 15-18 hours.
They used to get a special overtime allowance, known as the mileage allowance, in addition to their basic salary. This system offers 75% more than their pension based on the basic salary. However, the Finance Ministry scrapped the mileage facility in a notification in November 2021, creating discontent among railway running staff.
In January 2022, following protests, the Finance Ministry reinstated salaries and allowances but excluded mileage benefits from pensions. The then minister yielded to demands in April 2023 and promised the issuance of a new notification.
However, the November 2021 notification has not been scrapped yet, causing pension issues.
BRTC buses as alternatives
Amid the suspension of railway services, the railways ministry has added BRTC buses as a temporary alternative to rail routes.
"Passengers travelling from Dhaka railway station and Airport Railway Station to Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Khulna, Cumilla, Bogura, and Mymensingh can use the BRTC bus service with their purchased train tickets.
"Similarly, passengers from these locations can travel to Dhaka using the same service," said the ministry in a release.
This BRTC bus service will continue until further notice, it added.
