One Year After Train Fare Hike
No improvement in passenger services
The government’s decision taken last year to increase train fares for the first time in 20 years has, one year on, helped the railway to increase its income by one third, but there has been little improvement in train services. The increase in income of the railways virtually resulted in no discernable improvements in train services, in relation to both comfort and punctuality, passengers said.
On October 1, 2012, Bangladesh Railways increased passenger fares by 50 to 115 per cent – a decision the government said
was necessary to reduce the level of subsidies given to the largest public sector enterprise.
According to official records in 2012-2013 BR earned Tk 843.96 crore 2011-12 up from Tk 626.63 crore that it made in the previous year
In the six months from November 2012 to April 2013, BR earned Tk 274.77 crore an increase from Tk 185.93 crore that it had made in sthe ix months beginning November 2011.
However, whilst the increased income is good news for the railways, the declining numbers of passengers is not.
Official figures show that compared to the previous year, the number of passengers in the 2012-13 fiscal year decreased by five per cent, the amount of goods transported on the trains decreased by 10 per cent and the number of parcels couriered on the railways decreased by 22 per cent.
From November 2012 to April 2013 three crore four lakh passenger travelled by BR – down from three crore 31 lakh who travelled from November 2011 to April 2012. This amounts to a loss of 27 lakh passengers in the six month period since it raised the fares.
Despite such increase in earnings through fare hike passenger trains continued to fail in keeping up with the schedule of timetables.
On September 22, this reporter found that at Kamalapur Rail Station, 17 out of 31 trains set off late. On September 23, 16 out of 39 trains left the station late and on September 24, 11 out of 17 trains failed to leave the station on time.
Train passengers also did not see much of an improvement in the condition of travel in the last one year.
Mahbuba Dina, a Moghbazar resident, said that for around 20 years she has travelled to her maternal house in Chittagong by train.
‘There has been no improvement in the train services after the fare hike. Inside the train, it is dirty, it is impossible to use the toilets and during Eid it is also impossible to get tickets,’ she added.
Jakirul Islam, a Dinajpur-bound passenger who works in Dhaka, said that apart from first class coaches, seats of Shobhon were torn and dirty.
‘Train delays are continuing even after the fare hike. The eratic schedule is one of the most problematic areas in railway’s service,’ Rashedul, a Jamalpur-bound passenger, said speaking to New Age at Kamalapur Railway Station.
This year, the government inaugurated a total of 19-set Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (train) service on 12 routes all over the country.
But these trains do not have toilets, have very small windows and provide room to only about 300 passengers including sitting and standing.
BR director general Mohammad Abu Taher on Monday claimed that BR was continuing to improve the railway services not only since the fare hike but from the beginning of this government’s tenure.
Between January 2009 and March this year a total of 45 inter-city and mail trains were added and services of 22 trains were extended, said officials.
The director general also said that BR’s annual loss of Tk 963 crore had been reduced by about Tk 280 crore after the fare hike.
Abu Taher admitted that due to the fare hike the railway had lost many passengers – but wanted to emphasise that this was to the advantage of current railway travellers.
‘Before the fare hike there were about 200 per cent passengers for 100 seats. But now there are only about 120 passengers for our all seats. So it is good for us that the passengers are enjoying a less crowded journey,’ he added.
-With New Age input
