Rail East: Trains are leaving late due to engine problems, concerns about Eid journey
Photo Collected
The last day of the return train journey of this holy Eid-ul-Fitr was last March 28. After a long vacation, the employee bought the Sonar Bangla Express train ticket to go from Chittagong to Dhaka with his family. Shah Jahan He arrived at Chittagong station before the appointed time with his wife and sons. But at the beginning they faced obstacles. Although the train was supposed to leave at 5 pm, it did not leave. Left 53 minutes late.
The reason for such delay was engine trouble. This is only one example of a train being delayed due to engine trouble. Such incidents are happening now and then. Sometimes the train leaves on time but the engine breaks down in the middle. Due to these reasons passengers are taking extra time to reach their destination.
This year’s Eid-ul-Azha also has a long holiday. Eid journey by train has started from today Saturday. Like Eid-ul-Fitr, there is apprehension among passengers about smooth and comfortable train journey.
Officials of the Eastern Railway say that the railway does not have the number of engines required to run the train according to the schedule. At least 40 to 45 engines are available less than required. Not having enough engines puts more pressure on the ones that are there. Even maintenance cannot be done properly before starting the journey. As a result, engine failure happens repeatedly on the way. However, railway officials claimed that 88 engines are being prepared for the Eid journey.
Sadekur Rahman, the chief mechanical engineer of the eastern region of the railway, told Prothom Alo, “There is a shortage of engines.” However, we are preparing additional engines so that the passengers can reach their destination smoothly during the Eid journey. Hopefully, the train will leave on time and reach the destination at the scheduled time.
Millions of projects have been implemented during the ousted Awami League government. However, there was more focus on infrastructure development including construction of railway lines and stations. But there was little attention paid to procuring engines and coaches to run the train. The last engine was purchased in 2020. By this time, most of the older engines had passed their economic life. It revealed engine problems.
According to railway officials, the eastern section of the railways needs 119 engines to run all the trains as per the current schedule of the railways. At present, several trains, including cargo and local, are closed. 88 engines are needed for the trains that are running now. But currently 70 to 75 engines are available. Although there are 129 engines on paper. The rest have become unfit for repair, maintenance and use.
There are currently 164 trains plying in the eastern section of the railway. That is 82 pairs of trains. Out of these 58 (29 pairs) intercity trains, 60 commuter and mail trains, 8 container trains, 38 local and mixed trains (including 18 shuttle trains) are running.
On March 28, not only Sonar Bangla, but three other trains did not leave on time that day. Among them, the Vijay Express train bound for Jamalpur from Chittagong station was supposed to leave at 9:30 in the morning, but it left after 1 in the afternoon. 4 hours late. Paharika Express from Chittagong to Sylhet left 8 and a half hours late instead of 7:50 am due to engine delivery delay. The Dhaka-bound tourist express from Cox’s Bazar left Chittagong station two hours late.
Thousands of passengers have to wait on the platform of the station with suffering as the train does not leave on time. The passengers accepted it with pain. However, on April 30, a different incident took place at Dhaka’s Kamalapur station. The twilight train from Dhaka to Kishoreganj for Egarsindur was supposed to leave at quarter past seven in the evening. But as the engine did not arrive in two hours, the passengers started protesting at the station. They chanted ‘Bhua Bhua’.
According to data from Eastern Railway, nearly 2,000 trains left behind schedule in the first three months of this year. Among them there are about 850 intercity trains. There are 800 mail and express trains. The number of local trains is 350.
Engines broke down 101 times in the first four months of this year. In March alone, the engine broke down 27 times. That month was the holy Eid-ul-Fitr. The Eid Yatra started on March 13. The return journey ends on March 28. During this time, engine failure occurred 14 times. Out of which 8 are intercity trains. Others were mail express and freight trains.
Sonar Bangla Express left Chittagong railway station for Dhaka at 5 pm on May 1. After going some distance beyond Akhaura, the train stopped suddenly at around 8 pm due to engine failure. Another engine was brought in and the train was delayed by two hours. The train was supposed to reach Kamalapur railway station at 9:55 PM but it reached around 12:30 AM that day.
Tanvi Pal, a passenger of this train, told Prothom Alo, “I was on the train with my two-year-old child. Being stuck for a long time, he became very bored. The whole routine of eating and sleeping gets messed up. Suffered a lot. Not only me, many other families were traveling with small children in the buggy. All have suffered the same.’
According to railway data, there were 21 incidents of engine failure in January. 12 of them were intercity trains. The number of engine failures increased in February. 25 times in that month. Among them 15 trains were inter-nagar. In April, the engine failed 28 times. Half of it was inner city. Trains reach their destinations between one and six hours late due to engine failure. At this time passengers have to wait in the train.
Railway officials say there are several reasons for repeated engine breakdowns. The main reason is that there are not enough engines now. So to keep the train movement normal, all the resources have to be used. As a result the engines are not getting the required ‘rest’. Again there is a shortage of equipment needed for maintenance and repair of engines. Apart from this, the factory does not have the required manpower to repair the engine. Due to these reasons, the occurrence of engine failure on the way is increasing.
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