[🇧🇩] Bangladesh Railway

[Saif]

Govt shouldn’t let train services operation out to private hands

THIS is a good piece of news that the railway authorities, which run keeping to the Railways Act 1890, are updating the legislation understandably to keep pace with the changed context of the modern world...

www.newagebd.net

Govt shouldn't let train services operation out to private hands
24 May, 2024, 00:00

THIS is a good piece of news that the railway authorities, which run keeping to the Railways Act 1890, are updating the legislation understandably to keep pace with the changed context of the modern world. But what appears worrying about this is that, as New Age reported on May 23, the authorities are incorporating a provision to let private companies own rolling stocks to carry passengers and goods. The Bangladesh Railway, keeping to the provision, would allow private companies, as the draft of the law says, to use the railway line, the signalling system and other infrastructure for the operation of train services. While there are issues of concern in all this, what is further worrying is that the law would apply to the trial of the employees of the private companies in the event of any breach of the law, but the law stipulates no further action if the private companies would take punitive action against the employees of the private companies standing in breach of the law. What yet remains a matter of worry is that the provision that the authorities are planning to incorporate only constitutes a pointer to the failure of the authorities who are willing to let train services operation out to private entities as they fail to run the services properly.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Railway off track

A whopping Tk 1.22 lakh crore was poured into Bangladesh Railway for its development over the last 16 years, but the agency still faces a crippling crisis brought by ageing locomotives, carriages, and a shortage of staff due to what experts say are poorly planned and delayed projects.

www.thedailystar.net

Railway off track
Despite Tk 1.22 lakh crore allocation in 16 years, BR struggles to expand services

A whopping Tk 1.22 lakh crore was poured into Bangladesh Railway for its development over the last 16 years, but the agency still faces a crippling crisis brought by ageing locomotives, carriages, and a shortage of staff due to what experts say are poorly planned and delayed projects.

More than half the locomotives, carriages and freight wagons are over 20 years old, which affects railway's reliability.

Railway's fleet of 318 locomotives is far smaller than needed and 43 percent percent of it is over 40 years old. The shortage is so severe that the state-run transport agency has not been able to launch two new trains named and approved by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in December last year.

The crisis is only going to deepen because no new locomotive is likely to arrive in at least the next three years, officials said.

The Dhaka-Jashore rail line via the Padma Bridge is set to open in July, but BR is not likely to be able to fully utilise the expensive infrastructure due to lack of staff and carriages.

In 2023, the BR opened four new routes with a combined length of over 250km, but there is not enough trains to operate on the tracks.

Requesting anonymity, several BR officials said the government's main focus in recent years has been expansion of lines while procurement and maintenance of trains were neglected.

Since most of the BR's workshops and loco sheds are very old and lack staff, the regular maintenance and repair jobs take longer than usual, and the standard of work is subpar.

Amid Covid-19 pandemic and a few years prior to that, the BR suspended operations of at least 99 local, commuter and mail trains due to shortage of locomotives, carriages and staff. Very few of the services resumed after the pandemic.

Currently BR is implementing 32 projects of which deadline for 22 have been extended at least once. Some of the other 10 projects are also running behind schedule, BR documents show.

Deadlines for some projects were extended by over 10 years.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​

 

[Saif]

Rajbari-Tungipara: A lone train operating on Tk 2,110cr line!

Bangladesh Railway had taken up a project in 2010 to bring Tungipara of Gopalganj under the railway network without carrying out any feasibility study.

www.thedailystar.net

Rajbari-Tungipara: A lone train operating on Tk 2,110cr line!
No feasibility study done for the project; 4 stations non-operational

Bangladesh Railway had taken up a project in 2010 to bring Tungipara of Gopalganj under the railway network without carrying out any feasibility study.

The project was completed in 2018, more than five years behind schedule, for Tk 2,110 crore. The cost was almost double the initial estimates. But the BR now operates only one passenger train on Gopalganj-Rajbari-Rajshahi route.

The railway authorities also could not make four stations in this section operational due to a lack of manpower. Several buildings construed for the railway staffers at those stations still remain unused, leading to their decay.

The Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the planning ministry made these observations in its recently published Impact Assessment Report on the project.

The project was taken up to revive a 75km old line and build a 32km new track at a cost of Tk 1,101.32 crore.

The IMED report said the contractors used oversised stones on the rail track, making the line risky. It also found that a lack of maintenance and unauthorised level crossings are increasing the risks of accidents.

Transport expert Prof Hadiuzzaman said taking up a project without a feasibility study is not a good example.

"It is not possible to know the traffic demand, best locations of stations and the best possible links with roads without a proper study. Investing such a huge amount in a project without a study is questionable," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

As the BR invested money without assessing the traffic demand, they are operating only one train now which is not bringing enough returns for their investment, said Hadiuzzaman, a professor of civil engineering at Buet.

The Tungipara Express, which was launched in 2019, operates from Gobra of Tungipara to Rajshahi via Rajbari.

The BR could have invested this money in other projects if a proper study was conducted beforehand, he said.

A proper study might have suggested that the project should be taken up a few years later, the expert observed.

THE PROJECT

The rail line from Kalukhali of Rajbari to Bhatiapara Ghat of Gopalganj was constructed in 1932 but the line became inoperative in 1997.

The government in 2010 approved a project to revive the 75.5km section and build 32.35km of lines between Kashiani and Gopalganj to bring Tungipara, the birthplace of the father of the nation, under the railway network.

The project was supposed to be completed by June 2013. But it was completed in December 2018 with 330 percent time extension and 91.61 percent cost escalation, shows IMED document.

The IMED report said that the project saw time and cost overruns as it was taken up without a feasibility study.

It also said that nine project directors oversaw the scheme and the frequent changes of PDs hindered its progress to some extent.

The IMED said the rail line is not being maintained properly. Five years have passed since the opening of the rail line, but the BR is yet to deploy waymen (track maintenance workers).

According to the report, three staff quarters were built at each of the five stations but those were degrading as those were unoccupied.

Also, four stations on Kashiani-Gopalganj-Tungipara route remain inoperative due to a lack of manpower.

The stones used on the rail line is 30 to 40 percent oversised and the amount of stones were not adequate, the report mentioned.

Contacted, BR Director General Sardar Shahadat Ali yesterday said he would not comment on the project as he was not the DG when it was taken up.

He said they have shortages of manpower, locomotives and carriages and that's why they cannot make all stations operational and operate more trains on the line.

Asked about the return on investment, he said, "It's true that we are not getting enough return on the investment now. But we will have the expected return when will be able to operate more trains. However, it may take some more time."​

 

[Saif]

Proper feasibility study a must for railway projects

That Bangladesh Railway (BR) has been a loss-incurring entity for almost a decade is not news.

www.thedailystar.net

Proper feasibility study a must for railway projects
Bangladesh Railway needs to stop wasting public money

Visual: Star

That Bangladesh Railway (BR) has been a loss-incurring entity for almost a decade is not news. Yet, it is difficult not to get flabbergasted by BR projects that not only squandered public money during the implementation phase, but continues to be a burden for taxpayers. The lone passenger train operating on the Rajshahi-Rajbari-Gopalganj route, which railway authorities extended to bring Tungipara, the birthplace of the father of the nation, under the railway network is one such example.

According to a report in this daily, the government approved this project in 2010 to revive a 75-kilometre old, inoperative line from Kalukhali of Rajbari to Bhatiapara Ghat of Gopalganj and build a 32-kilometre line from Kashiani to Gopalganj to connect Tungipara. The project was completed in 2018, five years behind schedule and with a huge cost overrun. Till date, it has failed to generate enough return on investment because only one train runs on the Tk-2,011-crore line.

Additionally, there was no monitoring or quality checks of the material used by the contractors, essentially making the line risky. Now four stations and several staff quarters built along the route remain unused and are falling into decay. A top railway official attributed the underutilisation to the shortage of manpower, locomotives and carriages, but failed to acknowledge the issue of low traffic demand on that route.

We have repeatedly called attention to irregularities, inefficiency and poor performance of the railway authorities in implementing viable and profitable projects, and ensuring proper maintenance of its physical assets and infrastructure. But no one has ever been held accountable for BR's continuous wastage of public funds. Around the world, railway, a mode of transport with a low carbon footprint, is witnessing a comeback. If we want to follow on that track, we must ensure pragmatic and judicious leadership at the BR.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladesh Railway must be made accountable

Why is it continuously failing to finish projects on time and within budget?

www.thedailystar.net

Bangladesh Railway must be made accountable
Why is it continuously failing to finish projects on time and within budget?

VISUAL: STAR

It is frustrating to see yet another report highlighting the Bangladesh Railway's chronic failure to implement projects on time and within budget. Reportedly, 12 out of 13 projects completed by BR in fiscal year 2018-19 had their time extended, ranging up to nine and a half years, and costs increased as much as 260.81 percent. The details of these poorly executed projects seem irrelevant given how frequently this has been happening, thanks to a lack of transparency and accountability at the railway departments. No amount of criticism seems to have an effect on the relevant authorities. This is alarming.

Let us take the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydepur railway expansion project as an example. This was supposed to be completed in 2015, but physical work did not even begin until February 2019. The project's deadline is now set for June 2027, marking an unbelievable 12-year delay. Meanwhile, its cost has increased almost fourfold to Tk 3,342.55 crore. Reportedly, the project was initiated without any feasibility study or clearly defined work scope.

Another report found that in FY 2018-19, the East Zone of BR recorded a loss of more than Tk 11 crore while making purchases. There are allegations that it procured Tk 2 crore worth of materials from a vendor when the market price of those materials was just around Tk 18 lakh. We have also seen how BR's failure to buy 70 locomotives over 11 years has increased their cost by almost a thousand crore taka. This culture of poor execution causing inflated bills seems to be the overarching story of BR's development projects, which invariably suffer from delays in material supply, changes in project designs and work scopes, lack of proper feasibility study, shortage of manpower, procurement anomalies, budget extensions, etc.

Against this backdrop, between 2008-09 and 2022-23, the BR spent Tk 71,113 crore under the annual development programme (ADP). With this much money injected, how much return has it been able to provide so far? Very little. It continues to provide substandard services to passengers with outdated locomotives and frequent delays in trips. How long will this organisation, and those in charge of it, remain unaccountable? How long will the hard-earned money of taxpayers be spent in enabling corruption? We urge the authorities to institute a functional system of accountability at BR so that all projects are executed properly.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/bangladesh/br-suffers-operating-loss-of-tk-45m-a-day

BR suffers operating loss of Tk 45m a day
Suspension of all trains
Munima Sultana
Published :
Jul 30, 2024 09:35
Updated :
Jul 30, 2024 09:35

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) suffers an operating loss of estimated over Tk 45 million each day for keeping all passenger and cargo trains suspended since the quota reform movement turned violent on July 18.

The state-owned train operator runs 335 trains and 26 freight trains daily which managed revenue of Tk 17.50 billion in the fiscal year 2023-24.

Sources said as all train services except urgent fuel cargo have been suspended for the last 12 days, the BR's loss is estimated no less than Tk 540 million.

However, this time the train operator has to bear a demurrage of Tk 500 million for refunding money of all trains' tickets as the BR sells tickets 10 days before the schedule days.

"It means the loss of the state in railway sector this time for keeping trains totally off would be higher as the BR is never a profit-making entity," said an analyst.

The BR's net operating income which is always negative due to a huge gap in income and expenditure was Tk 17.56 billion as operating expense was Tk 28.67 billion against operating revenue of Tk 11.11 billion.

The general managers of the BR's two zones said during the last 12 days, the BR's fuel was only not needed but also its other expense like maintaining stations, office staff, signaling etc. needed to be maintained despite no train operation.

So, it cannot be assess easily the actual operating loss during the last 12 days, said the GM of Western Zone.

The BR had to keep its train services suspended highest over two months during the lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic. There no such example of keeping the trains totally off since the country's independence, said a senior railway official.

Railway Secretary Dr Humayun Ahmed said the government this time has decided to keep all trains off to ensure safety and security for the BR property and passengers.

"It is quite time consuming to buy railway equipment including carriages and locomotives. Not only time, those are expensive too and also the BR has severe shortage of these," he told the FE at his office.

According to the BR data, it has to maintain 3093 kilometre route and 4,438km track, 489 stations along with staff of nearly 26,000.

Around 60 per cent passengers of the BR are being carried by intercity trains which, the data, say over 91 per cent of the total earning of from passenger traffic. But the BR's passenger earning dropped from 61 per cent in 2019-2020 to 43.25 per cent in 2020-21.

Freight earning also varies as it was 21.81 per cent in 2019-2020 and 31.19 per cent in 2020-2021. Other earnings like lease and advertisement contributed 16 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.​

 

[Saif]

BR resumes all services today

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) restarts train services of all types today (Thursday) through operating intercity trains. The operation of all commuter, mail and local trains has gone on well over the past three days. Official sources said all 325 trains but four to five intercity express ones will r

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

BR resumes all services today
FE REPORT
Published :
Aug 15, 2024 09:14
Updated :
Aug 15, 2024 09:29

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) restarts train services of all types today (Thursday) through operating intercity trains.

The operation of all commuter, mail and local trains has gone on well over the past three days.

Official sources said all 325 trains but four to five intercity express ones will run from today.

The suspended trains will undergo maintenance work.

Some coaches of Parabat Express and Jayantika Express were damaged and burnt by some unruly people during the countrywide quota-reform movement.

The BR operates 64 intercity express trains under the western zone and 54 trains under the eastern zone.

It halted all services sine die on July 18 but resumed partially on August 01 by operating commuter, local, and mail services on short distances.

But the state-owned rail operator once again suspended the services on August 03 as the student movement gathered tempo.

Sources, however, said six cross-country train services will remain suspended until further notice.

The officials said freight service of the BR has been running smoothly since its resumption.

On average, the BR operates 30 to 50 trains on demand to transport fuel and food grains daily.​

 

[Saif]

BR, metro rail at odds over Kamalapur space

The authorities of the Bangladesh Railway and the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited which operates metro rail in Dhaka are still at loggerheads over a space for DMTCL to construct a yard for its...

www.newagebd.net

BR, metro rail at odds over Kamalapur space
Shahin Akhter 05 October, 2024, 00:17

The authorities of the Bangladesh Railway and the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited which operates metro rail in Dhaka are still at loggerheads over a space for DMTCL to construct a yard for its MRT line 6 at the site of a multimodal transport hub proposed by railway authorities in the capital’s Kamalapur.

Bangladesh Railway officials alleged that DMTCL was planning to construct a yard at the proposed site of the hub without obtaining permission from railway authorities.

They said that the yard, if constructed, would affect the hub’s design.

The DMTCL officials, on the other hand, claimed that the yard was important for the smooth operation of mass transit line 6 that would touch Kamalapur.

They said that a decision regarding the yard was still pending.

DMTCL which operates metro rail in the capital is under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, while Bangladesh Railway is under the Ministry of Railways.

In 2013, the government formulated the National Integrated Multimodal Transport Policy aiming at developing the country’s transport sector by emphasising railways, waterways, and airways along with roads.

Kajima Corporation, a Japanese company, is now working at the planning stage of the Kamalapur Multimodal Transport Hub Project, a public-private partnership initiative, under the Japan-Bangladesh government-to-government venture to convert the station into a transport hub to provide maximum comfort and convenience to users.

The project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in October 2018. A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan in June 2017 in this connection.

Meanwhile, the services of the country’s first-ever electricity-powered elevated and air-conditioned rail system, MRT line 6, are now running on the 20.1-kilometre-long Uttara–Motijheel section.

Following an extension of another 1.16-kilometre, the services are scheduled to run up to Kamalapur from December 2025.

In 2020, Bangladesh Railway authorities opposed the design of the extended route of the MRT line-6 as they feared that the extended part would affect the design of the multimodal transport hub.

On November 24, 2020, the railway authorities reached a consensus with the DMTCL that the Kamalapur railway station would be relocated by demolishing its iconic architecture to make way for metro rail.

The relocation proposal, tabled by Kajima Corporation, was approved by the then Prime Minister’s Office on December 14, 2020.

In February this year, railway authorities informed the railways ministry that DMTCL was conducting a survey for building a 300-meter yard at Kamalapur without permission from Bangladesh Railway.

The Kamalapur Multimodal Transport Hub project director Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman said that the yard for the metro rail was not necessary.

DMTCL was not given any approval to conduct any survey or begin any kind of work for their yard on Bangladesh Railway’s land.

He said that they had discussed with the consultants of DMTCL.

He said that Kajima Corporation vehemently opposed the plan of constructing the proposed yard as it would affect the hub project.

Al Fattah said that they had given DMTCL letters saying that they had no scope to give them space for the yard.

‘Still, they are holding meetings to get the space,’ he said, adding, ‘On September 4, at an inter-ministerial meeting at the road transport and bridges ministry, we protested against the DMTCL plan to construct the yard.’

The inter-ministerial meeting decided that technical officials would discuss the plan for building the yard at Kamlapur and the interim government’s adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, who oversees both the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, would take the final decision.

DMTCL managing director Mohammad Abdur Rouf told New Age on Tuesday that they sought permission from the railway but were yet to get any reply.

He said that the yard would be built for a smooth operation to keep at least two trains at night and build a scissors crossing for changing tracks.

The yard is necessary for people and technical reasons, he said.

‘We are awaiting a positive decision over the yard,’ he added.

The Revised Strategic Transport Plan 2015 proposed 21 multimodal and interchange stations in the districts of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Mankganj, Gazipur and Narsingdi.

As per the plan, there will be underground stations for mass rapid transit lines 1, 2 and 4, and the elevated station of the MRT line 6, said officials.

For the multimodal transport hub, Kajima Corporation has so far developed a pre-master plan.​