Intercity train schedules between Dhaka and the country’s northern and southern regions have collapsed since Thursday, said officials.
Disruption in the schedules was causing enormous sufferings to the passengers.
Intercity trains running on the Dinajpur-Dhaka, Rangpur-Dhaka and Rajshahi-Dhaka routes were delayed by maximum about 13 hours following the derailment of a train
compartment.
A compartment of Rangpur-bound train derailed in Dholatengur area under Kalihati upazila of Tangail Thursday afternoon.
Chief train controller (Rajshahi) Qamrul Islam told New Age on Saturday that the Dinajpur-Dhaka-bound Drutojan Express was running 12:40
hours and Rangpur-Dhaka bound Rangpur Express 12:30 hours behind the schedule.
Rajshahi-Dhaka bound Silk City Express was running 7:10 hours behind the schedule, he said.
Qamrul Islam said that schedules of Rangpur and Silk City Express trains were expected to become normal on Monday as today (Sunday) was these trains’ weekly day off.
However, Drutojan express’s weekly day off was scheduled on Wednesday which brought the fear that late schedule would continue till Tuesday this week.
Our Rangpur correspondent reports that passengers’ sufferings mounted in last two days as Rangpur Express, the only intercity train on Rangpur-Dhaka, has been running
behind schedule.
According to Rangpur railway station officials the train left the station at 9:00am on Saturday which was scheduled to leave at 8:00pm on Friday.
Many passengers returned their tickets on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, causing loss to the railway.
Some of them alleged that some station officials were deducting extra while the passengers were returning ticket.
However Rangpur railway assistant station master, Sarwar Hossain brushed aside the allegation and said they were not engaged in such irregularities.
Our correspondents in Rajshahi and Dinajpur report that people were forced to wait at rail stations for boarding on trains as there were few buses on these routes.
Local bus operators said that due to a transport strike, enforced last Thursday, many buses could not come back from Dhaka to these districts.
Courtesy of New Age
