Passengers land in trouble, as train services are suspended nationwide following a strike called by the railway staff. The photo was taken at Kamalapur Railway Station on Tuesday. — FE Photo by Shafiqul Alam 
A nationwide wildcat strike by railway running staff Tuesday brought trains to a grinding halt across Bangladesh, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in abject misery in this one of umpteen strikes these days.
The indefinite strike, which began after midnight Monday at the call of the railway running staff and workers' union to press for reinstatement of mileage allowances and pension benefits, is also severely affecting trades, say insiders.
The union had issued an ultimatum during a press conference at Chattogram's old railway station last Wednesday, setting a January-27 deadline for their demands to be met.
With no remedy in sight, the running staff, including guards, train drivers, assistant drivers and ticket inspectors, went on work abstention early on January 28.
The sudden halt in train services has caused widespread chaos, particularly for low-income passengers who rely on affordable rail travels for daily work and small trades.
At Kamalapur Rail Station in Dhaka, Mohammad Shahabuddin, an inhabitant of Jaypurhat, was left scrambling for alternative transportation.
Md. Akbar Ali, a passenger at the same railway hub, got stranded with only Tk 700 in his pocket, unable to afford an inflated bus fare of Tk 1,350--a 50-percent hike for northbound buses, consequent upon the train halt.
Operators of buses bound for Mymensingh and Khulna divisions also are found raising bus fares by 20-50 per cent Tuesday amid rising demand.
According to the railway authority, in Mymensingh, 28 pairs of trains have been cancelled, severely disrupting travel for those dependent on rail services.
Railway Ministry Adviser Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan expressed regret over the situation, stating that the strike has caused significant hardship to ordinary citizens.
During a visit to Kamalapur Railway Station on Tuesday morning, he assured reporters that the government was open to discussions with the striking staff.
"Our doors are always open for dialogue. If necessary, we will sit with them again and discuss their demands with the finance ministry," Khan said.
He also said the government had already addressed a significant portion of the staff demands and was prepared to negotiate the remaining issues.
To mitigate passenger woes, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) has deployed 20 buses - 10 each at Kamalapur and Airport stations - to assist stranded travelers out of the quagmire.
BRTC Chairman Tajul Islam says that more buses will be added, if needed, as the strike went on.
The running staffs have been protesting for months, demanding that their mileage allowances be included in their basic salary for pension calculations.
Previously, staff working over eight hours a day used to receive additional pay based on their basic salary, and upon retirement, 75 per cent of this allowance added up to their pension.
However, this benefit was curtailed by the finance ministry on November 3, 2021, sparking the ongoing protests, which, incidentally, coincides with waves of blockades, sit-ins and strikes by umpteen groups during the current post-uprising interim government.
As passengers were virtually held hostage, Fawzul Kabir Khan reminds that the railway is not a private entity and urges the striking staff to consider the broader impact of their actions.
"The government is not facing difficulties due to the train stoppage--it is the general members of the public who are suffering. We want a swift resolution, especially before the upcoming Bishwa Ijtema," he says.
As the strike continues, passengers remain hopeful for a quick resolution to end their ordeals and restore normalcy in the country's rail services-the safest and most affordable mass transport.
Meanwhile, as goods-and oil-carrying freight trains also halted, fear of export-import container congestion at the port stoked up.
Due to engine crisis, the railway has already been struggling to operate goods trains for several months. Despite the pressure on goods transportation, the railway has not been able to run trains as per demand due to a shortage of engines.
In such a situation, the new strike has virtually come as a bolt from the blue.
Due to their strike programme, since midnight, like passenger trains, the movement of goods-and oil-carrying trains from Chattogram has also been halted across the country.
Meanwhile, four trains scheduled to depart from the CGPY (Chattogram Goods Port Yard) station in the port city from midnight on Monday to Tuesday afternoon didn't operate.
As train movement snapped, container congestion at Chattogram port has begun to build up.
Due to fewer trains running compared to demand, there is already a container backlog at the port, say officials concerned.
According to port data, 96 per cent of the containers imported and exported through Chattogram port are transported via the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. The remaining 3.0 per cent are transported by rail and less than 1.0 by waterway.
Port and railway sources say that 120 to 140 containers are transported daily by train from the Chattogram seaport.
However, railway running staffs refuse to end strike as a meeting with railway secretary later in the day ended in a fiasco.
On Tuesday afternoon, railway secretary Md. Fahimul Islam held a meeting with the running-staff members at Kamalapur Rail Station. Also present at the meeting was Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, coordinator of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal (labour wing of BNP).
However, as no solution was reached, the running staff walked out of the meeting.
Around 2:45pm, the representative of the running staff, Saidur Rahman, left the meeting without any decision.
Later, he said, "We had a prolonged meeting with the railway secretary and the director-general of railway. However, since we could not reach any decision, I left during the meeting. I will discuss the matter with our central leaders. But we remain firm on our strike."
Till 10 pm, representatives of JCD, student coordinator and railway Dhaka divisional officials continued negotiation with running staff to withdraw the strike.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
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