Bangladesh Railway (BR) has decided to resume special parcel train service on three routes from Friday to facilitate transportation of agricultural produce amid the ongoing lockdown.
Initially, parcel trains will operate on Chattogram-Dhaka, Dhaka-Mymensingh-Jamalpur-Dewanganj Bazar and Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna routes, officials said.
"We have planned to utilise parcel vans lying idle since passenger train service has remained suspended. If the demand for parcel is visible for transport of vegetables, fruits or perishable food items, service will continue," said Mia Jahan, additional director general (operation) of Bangladesh Railway.
Initially, he said, three to four wagons will run with an engine.
According to the office of the director general, a parcel train will depart from Chattogram at 10:00 am and reach Dhaka at 8:30 pm.
Another parcel train will operate on Dhaka-Dewanganj route every day. It will leave Dewanganj at 7:00 pm and arrive in Dhaka at 3:15 am.
Two special parcel trains will run on Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna route starting from Khulna at 4:45 pm. It will arrive in Dhaka at 3:30 am. The trains stop at Noapara, Jashore, Baro Bazar, Court Chandpur, Safdarpur, Chuadanga, Poradaha, Bheramara, Ishwardi, Muladuli, Lahirimohonpur and Tejgaon stations on both ways.
Though BR has stopped operating passenger trains to contain the spread of coronavirus, the state-owned train operator has been continuing its container service on limited scale to facilitate cargo transportation from the Chattogram port.
This service has been on for goods and fuel transportation on Dhaka-Chattogram, Chattogram-Sylhet-Moulvibazar, Chattogram-Rangpur, Chattogram-Dinajpur-Chattogram, Chattogram-Thakurgaon-Chattogram, Thakurgaon-Tejgaon-Noagaon, Tejgaon-Shantahar-Chattogram routes after the government announced general holidays from April 26.
The officials said container services in the northern region continued to transport wheat from Chattogram to the region and rice from there to Chattogram.
Mr. Jahan said BR is making its service ready to transport fertilizer as the Aman cultivation season nears.
When asked about resumption of passenger services on some routes under special arrangements, he said, BR is working on it but has yet to take decision.
"As we have to take many issues into consideration before starting passenger train service, it is still at discussion level," Mia Jahan told the FE over phone.
It is learnt that plan is underway to resume passenger service on some routes with selling of half or less tickets online against the carriage capacity.
The fallout of coronavirus pandemic has forced the BR to cut its budget for the next fiscal year hinting to surrender a significant amount of its revised allocation in the current fiscal year.
According to sources, the state-owned rail operator and planner has reduced its proposed budget by Tk 20 billion for the fiscal year 2020-21 dropping some development targets as the countrywide lockdown has hit its projects hard.
Before the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, the BR wanted to seek Tk 144 billion from the upcoming budget which was reduced to Tk 124.37 billion.
"We are likely to propose the same budget the BR has received in the current fiscal year," said an official preferring anonymity.
The government allocated Tk 121.11 billion to the BR to implement 36 projects under the annual development programme in the current fiscal year 2019-2020. But its spending on these projects was only 17 per cent as of February.
Though the BR officials claim that the work of most of its ongoing projects is continuing amid the lockdown, sources said, BR is yet to assess the real situation due to work from home.
The BR, after reviewing the ongoing projects, has assessed that an amount of Tk 18.47 billion to remain unspent under 40 projects in the current fiscal year 2019-2020. This amount is likely to remain unspent from the BR's revised ADP allocation.
"It is still difficult to make an actual assessment from home. We have to collect information on each of more than 30 project offices," said the official.
Padma Rail Link, Dohazari-Ramu-Cox's Bazar, and Bangabandhu Railway Bridge projects are among the projects which will surrender the allocation.
Sources said Khulna-Mongla rail development project is likely to surrender Tk 3.10 billion out of allotted Tk 8.19 billion while Kulaura-Shahbajpur section rehabilitation project is unlikely to spend Tk 491 million out of its allotted Tk 618 million.
The total amount allotted for conducting a feasibility study for setting up Bhanga-Faridpur-Barishal will be surrendered.
The BR officials claim that Padma Rail Link project being implemented by the Chinese contractor with assistance from the Chinese government is going on smoothly but Tk 762 million out of its allotted Tk 3.39 billion may remain unspent.
smunima@yahoo.com