This letter is in reference to the report, titled 'BR to buy 125 luggage vans to bring essentials to city', which was published in the Financial Express on January 27, 2019.
The report says that in a bid to keep the markets of key essential commodities stable in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Railway (BR) has decided to procure 125 luggage vans of different categories. These vans will be used to transport vegetables, meat, fish and milk to the capital from major sourcing hubs of the items.
This is a great initiative. Train is the cheapest public transport in the country. It is also one of the fastest, if the trains follow the schedule. If trains are used to bring in essentials, this will cut transportation costs significantly.
According to a BR study, nearly 35 per cent of perishable items come to the city from the Jessore zone, 30 per cent from Mymensingh region, and 30 per cent from Savar, Munshiganj, Gazipur and Narsingdi areas.
As it has been reported by dailies, a kilogram of vegetables sold in the rural areas at Tk 10 becomes Tk 30 when it reaches the kitchen markets of Dhaka. The rise in price can be attributed to the transportation cost. If this cost can be reduced drastically, the prices of goods will also be lower.
Additionally, if the schedule is maintained, the essentials can reach different stations inside Dhaka in time. This will ensure fresh items. Most vegetables, fishes and meat often begin to rot on their way into the capital, as the trucks or other vehicles carrying them are often stuck in tailbacks.
The BR is going to procure 50 broad-gauge and 75 meter-gauge luggage vans for the purpose. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to finance the project. The BR authorities are hopeful that they can initiate the special transportation once 40 broad-gauge locomotives, set to be procured from the US, arrive in the country.
Two of the proposed special trains will be operated from Khulna and Chapai Nawabganj to Dhaka. Two more will run from Jamalganj Bazar of Mymensingh and Mohonganj of Netrokona to Dhaka. Some of these vans will also be refrigerated.
I would like to thank the BR authorities for coming up with this idea. The people of Dhaka city will eagerly wait for this transportation service to start in the near future.
Akibul Javed,
Indira Road, Dhaka
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