Railway mulls resuming 93 local trains to ease rural commuters’ strain
Most of these old trains were suspended during the pandemic, including one which is aged 50 years. Authorities now plan to renovate them and reinstate them into second-class commuter services
Bangladesh Railway (BR) plans to press 93 commuter trains back into service to facilitate short-distance travels for local people and small traders. These trains were withdrawn over the last 15 years due to enhanced emphasis on intercity expresses as well as shortages of manpower, engines, and coaches, according to officials.
Most of these old trains were suspended during the pandemic, including one which is aged 50 years. Authorities now plan to renovate them and reinstate them into second-class commuter services.
These include the Isha Khan Express on the Dhaka-Mymensingh route, the Jalalabad Express on the Chattogram-Sylhet route, two trains on the Mymensingh-Dewanganj upazila route, and four trains on the Sylhet-Chhatak upazila route.
Officials stated that despite importing engines and coaches over the past decade, the resumption of second-class commuter train operations has been hindered by the reluctance of ministers and members of parliament from the previous government.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Instead, newly imported trains were introduced on less-frequented routes based on political considerations, such as demands from ministers or lawmakers, they added.
"Though train coaches and engines were imported, it was not possible to add them to the second-class commuter train services. Now we are planning to convert the old coaches of the intercity trains into second-class trains," BR Director General Sardar Shahadat Ali told TBS.
In September, Bangladesh Railway compiled a list of suspended trains from both the eastern and western regions. This list was forwarded to Railway Bhaban, detailing the reasons for the suspensions.
Md Shahidul Islam, chief operating superintendent of the Eastern Zone of the BR, told TBS, "The eastern region regularly gets 830 coaches and 63 engines to run trains. Every day some train schedules are disrupted due to an engine shortage."
According to the railway timetable book, Bangladesh Railway has 383 scheduled trains: 212 in the eastern region and 171 in the western region.
However, only 284 trains are currently operational, while 99 have been suspended — 50 in the eastern region and 49 in the western region. Among the suspended trains, six are international services operating between Bangladesh and India.
Shortage of manpower, coaches, and locomotives
According to the Railway Transport and Mechanical Engineering Department, over 3,000 coaches and around 500 locomotives are needed to operate all trains.
However, Bangladesh Railway currently has approximately 2,500 coaches and 300 engines, and not all of them are operational.
Most of the engines and coaches have exceeded their lifespan, with around 2,000 active coaches and about 200 active engines remaining.
In the eastern region, 1,131 coaches and 76 engines are operational, while the western region has 890 coaches and 153 engines in use.
Another significant issue facing the railway is a shortage of manpower, said BR Director General Sardar Shahadat Ali.
He said, "The manpower crisis in the railway is longstanding. After hiring train drivers in recent years, I hoped the crisis would be resolved. However, most of them left for other jobs after completing their training, which has perpetuated the shortage."
He suggested that retired railway personnel who are physically fit could be recruited on a contractual basis and noted that a proposal has been submitted to the ministry regarding this matter, which is currently under consideration.
High spending, low yield
According to the railway, approximately Tk1 lakh crore has been invested in the development of Bangladesh Railway over the last ten years.
Of this amount, around Tk70,000 crore has been allocated for the construction of railway lines, bridges, buildings, and the purchase of engines and coaches.
While the railway has added roughly 800 coaches and 30 locomotives, the new engines and coaches are too large to operate on older bridges.
Additionally, plans are underway to import about 300 new engines, but this process will take at least two more years. Consequently, the railway sector is incurring annual losses exceeding Tk 2,000 crore.
