Most of the trains of the Bangladesh Railway are still running behind the schedules after railways came under attacks during recent political programmes including strikes and rail-road-waterways blockades. The officials said they did not know when the situation would become normal as some damage would take long to be repaired. Since February 28 last year, more than 400 incidents took place in which railway facilities including locomotives, coaches and stations and tracks came under attacks, said officials.
Since November 26 last, when the BNP-led alliance started the sixth-spell of the rail-road-waterways blockades, severe disruption in the schedules of almost all trains took place.
On Wednesday at the Kamalapur railway station, Dhaka-Chitagong-bound trains were delayed by 12 to 14 hours, Dhaka-Rangpur and Dhaka-Dinajpur-bound trains by 10 to 12 hours and Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Khulna-bound trains were delayed by eight to 10 hours.
‘It is very painful for us to wait for trains in this weather,’ said a senior railway employee from Chittagong office, who waited at the station for Dhaka-Chitagong-bound Mahanagar Godhuli which was 12 hours late.
Rangpur Express passenger Mohammad Shihab asked there was no blockade or strike on Wednesday, then why the train was 10 hours late.
The station master, Nripendra Nath Saha, said that many passengers were returning their tickets.
Director general of the railway, Mohammad Abu Taher, told New Age that since last February BR incurred a loss of about Tk 69 crore.
After the political unrest the railway had started advanced locomotive pilot system in which a locomotive ply to check track’s condition before running of a full-set train. The system slows down the schedule.
The railway also decreased train speed from 75 kilometre to 40 kilometre to check track’s condition, Abu Taher said.
‘At present we are focusing on passenger safety and then our second priority is speed,’ he said.
The director general said these special measures would continue till further notice as the situation was not normal yet.
About 13 to 14 locomotives and coaches were damaged in 2013 while at least four coaches were permanently damaged, he said.
‘It will take at least seven to eight months to get allocation for repairing of the burnt or damaged locomotives and coaches,’ he said. Compared with normal times, a senior railway official said, BR carried only 25 to 30 per cent passengers from Dhaka to outlying destinations since the close of October.
During the peak season (November to February), BR’s passenger load increases to 150 per cent,’ he added.
-With New Age input
