The railway passengers in Rajshahi have been suffering as the intercity trains on the Rajshahi-Dhaka route are failing their schedules every day from two days before Eid-ul-Azha.
The passengers alleged that the three intercity trains on the route — Silk City Express, Padma Express and Dhumketu Express — are being late five to six hours at every departure.
An officer of the railway western zone said since Eid-ul-Azha the pressure of passenger has increased, and for lack of coaches, the trains are not leaving the station in time.
Passengers also alleged that the Padma Express and the Silk City Express sometimes give extra stoppage causing serious sufferings to the passengers.
They said earlier both the trains would reach the Kamalapur station in Dhaka from Rajshahi in five hours, but now they are taking six hours.
Another passenger claimed that the Rajshahi railway authorities were willingly delaying the trains under pressure from the Rajshahi Bus Owners’ Association.
He said after two more trains were launched on the Rajshahi-Dhaka route, the bus owners are not getting enough Dhaka-bound passengers.
For this reason, the Rajshahi Bus Owners’ Association leaders have given a large amount of money to the railway authorities for delaying the train departure, he alleged.
Passengers in Rajshahi demanded that the authorities concerned should reduce stoppage and add more air-conditioned coaches to ease the passengers’ sufferings.
When contact, Ali Akbor, superintendent of the Rajshahi railway station, admitted the delays in train departure but he denied the allegation of taking bribe from the bus owners association.
He said although the number of train has been increased in the northern region, there is only one route from the Ishwardi rail junction to the Abdulpur rail junction and that is why the train sometime stop at the Rajshahi station to make way for other train.
He, however, hoped that the problems would be addressed within two or three days.
He also informed that the authorities were thinking to add one more AC coach to the Dhumketu Express.
