‘Mango train’ suspended for lack of cargo

A train service from Chapainawabganj to dedicatedly bring the region's seasonal bounty of mangoes to Dhaka has been cancelled on running for just 11 days this season.  

The train plied last on Thursday and the service was cancelled for being unable to woo an adequate number of traders, Ashim Kumar Talukhder, general manager of West Zone of Bangladesh Railway, told The Daily Star.

Another train service to solely transport sacrificial animals may be launched on the week leading up to upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, he said.

The one for mangoes began on June 13 from Rohonpur. The carrying capacity of each of its five wagons was 45,000 kilogrammes (kgs).

But the highest amount that ended up being transported on a day was around 32,392 kgs, that too by the whole train.

The lowest was 15,379 kgs, says a Bangladesh Railway report.

"Running the train was leading to huge losses," said a senior railway official.

"I will not term it a loss…Because, the train was introduced out of the prime minister's wish to benefit mango transport," said Talukhder.

The seasonal train was first introduced in 2020 in the wake of supply disruptions amidst the pandemic.

But each time the response of traders had been dismal.

Mango orchards are far from the railway stations, rendering the service useless, said Shafiqul Islam, a mango producer of Rajshahi's Bagha.

The service charged Tk 1,117 for carrying one tonne of mangoes whereas truckers charge around Tk 3,000 and courier services Tk 20,000.

Still, the mango traders preferred trucks and courier services.

"If we carry mangoes from the orchard to the station by a truck, the trucks would charge the same to carry it to Dhaka. That's why the mango train didn't come to our use," Islam said.

Locals suggested attaching one or two goods wagons to regular passenger trains for transporting mangoes.

Without hearing out the locals, the railway authorities introduced a full train and incurred losses, said Sujauddin Chhoton, a senior journalist.

"Railway authorities had two years of experience incurring losses from the mango train service and yet they commenced it this year," he said.