A leading Bangla contemporary has painted a grim picture of the lives of loco masters in this country. They have to run goods trains for 13 to 20 hours at a stretch. This is humanly impossible. That the engine of a train along with a carriage toppled over the Chittagong Railway Station on December 10 last year should not surprise many when they come to know about this pathetic situation confronting the country's railway service. Subsequent investigation into the December 10 incident revealed that the loco driver was drowsy at the time.
Surely, loco masters cannot be blamed if they feel sleepy on a journey lasting 15 to 20 hours at a time. How they manage to reach their destinations safely is rather a miracle. Railway engineers are of the opinion that a loco driver should not be allowed to run a train for more than 12 hours at a time. Common sense however would find a 12-hour duration too much. There should be two loco masters whenever the journey takes more than 8-10 hours. Â
The report puts emphasis on the compulsory overtime duty loco drivers are now asked to do. But it also exposes how sick the railway here is. Passenger trains used to run between Dhaka and Chittagong within five and a half hours to six hours' time a decade ago, now they take, at least, seven hours for the same journey. Goods trains covered the distance in 14-15 hours and now the time has gone up to 25-30 hours.
This is enough proof that rail service has declined in this country. At a time when railways in most countries have modernised and in some of them introduction of super fast trains has radically changed the concept of railway journey in terms of speed and facilities, the Bangladesh Railway seems to be on a retrogressive journey. Pep talks about  improvement and modernisation will not do. There is a need for taking the issue seriously.
For a nation of 160 million, buses and trucks cannot be the premier mode of transportation of passengers and goods. The railway is limping also for want of proper manpower. Hundreds of posts for loco masters, deputy loco masters and sub-loco masters are lying vacant in both Dhaka and Chittagong divisions. Chittagong has 171 posts of loco masters lying vacant. Shockingly, though, this division is in a better state than Dhaka. The latter's crisis is so acute that it hires loco drivers from Chittagong in order to keep the trains running.
If the recruitment of assistant loco masters is kept on hold for 15 long years, it is only natural that the supply of new masters capable of taking over the duty will dry up. This has exactly happened in case of railway recruitment. Then allegedly, the number of inter-city and mail trains has been increased without bringing about improvement or addition to the railway tracks. No wonder Diesel Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains have been a disaster. All because decisions on their introduction are taken simply perfunctorily without a thorough analysis of the ground reality.
The railways have never been given the priority it deserves in today's Bangladesh. There is no doubt that the coterie interests particularly those involving the bus operators have played a negative role here. This has obviously undermined the national interests and political leadership has not been able to demonstrate enough resolve to counter it. Even in recent times, there have been talks about expanding railway networks to regions where this particular type of transport could never take hold.
The truth is people are not really convinced that enough investments will be made in this sector. Even the Padma Bridge which has just been taken up for construction at an enormous cost has primarily focused on road communication. It was perhaps the incumbent prime minister's insistence that helped include the provision for the railway in the bridge plan. Now here is an opportunity to connect the western parts with the rest of the country through railways. But investment is hard to come by.
Admittedly, a vibrant railway can change the country for better in terms of people's mobility and economy. A shift from the road communication to rail network will give multifarious dividends. The country must get ready for fast trains, preferably the electric type. If east connects with west and north with south under such a railway network, mobility of people will increase phenomenally. Then journeys will be cheaper and comfortable. Even the carrying costs of goods will come down to a fraction of what is the normal rate for long-distant truck conveyance. Finally, environmental pollution will be next to nothing. For a country facing gravest threat from climate change, this too is very important.
Planning with the railways therefore matters and matters crucially. The current situation, though, does not make one very optimistic. Laying double lines on the Dhaka-Chittagong route has been taking so much time. Bringing similar facilities to other zones is also very important and urgent. Then the dilapidated tracks need to be made firmer in order to bear pressure from fast running trains. Clearly, the country cannot go for total revamping of the railway at once. But the programme has to be taken up now with a broad vision of a fast, modern and highly efficient railway service in the near future.
nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com        Â
Making railway premier mode of transportation
Nilratan Halder | Published: October 30, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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