<i>Move to launch smooth train service</i>
New coaches for inter-city trains of the Bangladesh Railway East Zone.Photo: STAR
Fifty new coaches will be added to the Bangladesh Railway East Zone by December with a view to launching a smooth train service on different routes in the region.
The Railway authorities are importing these coaches from China under a project of Tk 130 crore in three phases. These include several spacious and comfortable chair coaches, railway sources said.
The coaches, manufactured by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, include 29 Shobhan chair coaches, seven air-conditioned (A/C) chair coaches, three A/C sleeping coaches, seven dinning-cum-break coaches and four power cars.
Eleven coaches have reached at Chittagong Port on October 23 under first phases while 17 are scheduled to arrive on the first week of December and 22 more by December-end, said the sources at Mechanical Department.
Of 11 coaches, three are A/C chair coaches, one A/C sleeping coaches, three dinning-cum-break, two Shobhan chair coaches and two power cars.
Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) Khalilur Rahman, also the project director, said the coaches are spacious and comfortable ones and will surely attract the passengers.
He said the coaches will replace the inoperative ones and two more inter-city services might be launched on Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet routes with the new additions, he said.
The decision, however, will be taken in this regard after arrival of all 50 coaches, he added.
Khalil said 30 A/C more coaches under a Tk 106 project are scheduled to arrive in February next year to launch a complete air-conditioned express train on Dhaka-Chittagong route.
General Manager (GM) of Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) Md Iqbal Molla said the new coaches will obviously be helpful but not enough. He said they need more coaches and trains to cater the need and demand of the passengers and make the service attractive.
Meanwhile, the railway officials at the East Zone said the new coaches will be a support for them to some extent in maintaining the service that is running with serious shortage of coaches.
Four inter-city trains -- including Subarno, Mohanagar Prabhati, Mohanagar Godhuli and Turna Nishitha -- ply on Chittagong-Dhaka route while Paharika and Udayan on Chittagong-Sylhet everyday, said railway sources.
One Chandpur-bound inter-city train, Meghna Express, also plies everyday.
Five mail trains ply on Chittagong-Dhaka route, one on Chittagong-Sylhet and one leaves Chittagong for Jagannathganj while two local trains ply up to Chandpur and Akhaura.
Besides, two other trains ply on Chittagong-Nazirhat and Chittagong-Dohazari routes.
Railway East zone needs 686 coaches, including 368 for inter-city trains and 318 second class coaches for mail and local trains, for smooth services, said Abdul Wahab, chief operating superintendent of Tailway East Zone.
About 45 percent of coaches in the zone are now lying out of service, said an official of operating (traffic) department preferring anonymity.
He said, “To keep the service operative on inter-city routes we require 290 coaches, including 53 spare coaches for replacement in case of problem when we can hardly provide 270”.
The worst situation prevails in providing coaches for mail and local trains, used by common people.
For mail and local trains, 239 coaches and 48 spare coaches are needed while the East Zone can provide at best 174 during the busy hours, causing immense sufferings to the passengers, sources said.
Sometimes local trains ply with only one or two coaches on Chittagong-Chandpur and Chittagong-Akhaura routes and on the local branch lines like Chittagong-Dohazari and Chittagong-Nazirhat routes due to shortage of coaches, passengers said.
Rezaur Rahman, a passenger from Akhaura, said he did not get coach on many occasions even after buying tickets.
Many coaches that are not in good condition are being used on different routes, posing risk of accident.
Five coaches of the Dhaka-bound Mohanagar Prabhati that derailed on October 13 near Baro Takia Railway Station, leaving three people dead on the spot were in bad condition, said a member of one of the four probe bodies.
A total of 49 coaches used in inter-city trains have recently been sent to the Carriage and Wagon Repair Workshop at Pahartali for converting their vacuum-break system into air-break system to improve the breaking system.
Of them, 15 are out of order now.
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