Risky trip on trains
Holidaymakers going home by train are experiencing less hassle than the ones travelling by bus although most of the trains from Dhaka were delayed for at least an hour.
Visiting Kamalapur Railway Station yesterday, it was seen that the platform was full of hundreds of passengers, and most of the trains were carrying passengers beyond their capacity.
Despite a restriction on travelling on the train roof, many passengers climbed on the roofs, exposing themselves to the risk of accidents.
At least 40 passengers were injured after falling from the roof a train in Sirajganj near the Bangabandhu bridge west zone railway station as they were hit by hanging wires above the track.
Bangladesh Railway authorities said the pressure of passengers is now heavier than the Eid-ul-Fitr this year. The number of passengers has increased from Thursday, and the situation continues until today.
Though the railway did not think that delay in train operation at this moment was a big problem, passengers expressed their dissatisfaction with the delay.
Alauddin Ali, a passenger of Parbatipur Express, said he had been waiting at the station with his family for one and a half hour, but did not know when his train would arrive.
"It's very uncomfortable for passengers to wait for train for long in such hot weather, and it has become common during every Eid that railway cannot maintain its schedule," he added.
A passenger of Jamuna Express, Ima Reza, who was going to Jamalpur with her family, told The Daily Star that they knew that their journey would be troublesome. But travelling to the village home and spending Eid holidays with the family give her immense pleasure.
Asked about the delay, NC Saha, station master-2 of Kamalapur Railway Station, said a good number of passengers were travelling by train, and the delay was caused due to boarding and offloading of passengers.
He said they always ask passengers not to climb on the train roof, but they ignore it.
The accident in Sirajganj occurred around 12:30pm when Khulna-bound Sundarban Express was crossing Bangabandhu bridge west zone railway station at Kodda, reports our Pabna correspondent.
Sayed Iqbal, officer-in-charge of Sirajganj GRP Police Station, said 15 of the 40 wounded were admitted to Sirajganj General Hospital in a critical condition.
The railway authorities said they would take action against those who set up the wires illegally.
Our Gazipur correspondent adds, a huge number of people were seen climbing on the train roofs by using ladders.
About 10,000 to 12,000 passengers boarded trains at Chittagong Railway Station regularly, but during the Eid, their number rose to around 18,000, said Chittagong Railway Station Manager Abul Kalam Azad.
Comments