Railway proposes to buy 10 motors initially to improve travel to and from Dhaka; estimated Tk 210cr to come from Indian credit
The government is going to introduce railcars between the capital and its adjoining districts next year to improve the transport of commuters to and from the capital.
Bangladesh Railway recently submitted a proposal to the planning commission to buy 10 diesel-electric multiple units (DEMU), also called railcars or railmotors, in the first phase of this effort.
A DEMU is a three-carriage train and it is capable of carrying 300 passengers at a time. They have engines at both ends. A diesel engine in the train generates electricity, which is used to propel the train.
“We have proposed purchasing 10 railcars with an estimated Tk 210 crore from the Indian state credit,” railway Director General TA Chowdhury told The Daily Star Wednesday.
Twenty more railcars will be bought with government funds in the second phase to increase the frequency of trains, he added.
Currently 24 conventional trains run between Dhaka-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Joydevpur, Dhaka-Brahmanbaria and Dhaka-Mymensingh mainly during rush hours (morning and evening).
But those trains are very inadequate and usually seen jam packed with passengers.
“We will replace the conventional trains with the railcars and use those on long-distance routes,” said the DG, adding that they are planning to run commuter trains on the routes every 30 minutes to meet the huge demand. He said railcars would leave stations 15 minutes apart with the introduction of more railcars.
Appreciating the move, transport sector expert Dr Rahmatullah said railcars are very useful for transporting a large number of passengers from one place to another in a short time.
“The big advantage of a railcar is that it has small engines on both sides and number of bogies can be adjusted depending on the demand of the passengers,” he told The Daily Star.
Asked if the railcars would aggravate the city’s traffic congestion since they would be going through level crossings more frequently, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said the commuter trains will not run between Kamalapur Railway Station and Airport Railway Station.
Initially, the railcars will run between Narayanganj and Kamalapur, airport station and Joydevpur, Comilla and Mymensingh, he said, adding that the railcars will be run between Kamalapur and Airport stations after flyovers and overpasses on level crossings are built.
“Once commuter trains are launched, anybody from adjacent districts will be able to come to the capital, work and return the same day on commuter trains,” said the minister.
The railway DG suggested that overpasses or underpasses at all the level crossings in the city be built for smoother movement of trains and traffic.
He said the railway authorities also have plans to introduce railcars in other parts of country.
