Bangladesh Railway has reversed its decision to resume train services on a limited basis due to tensions surrounding the quota-protest movement, report agencies.
Director General of Bangladesh Railway, Sardar Shahadat Ali, said on Thursday that no decision has been made yet on when train services will resume.
"No decision has been made regarding the movement of trains. It's not just about running the trains, it's about safety. A decision will be made after analyzing the overall situation and consulting with the ministers, secretaries, and all relevant parties," he said.
According to a spokesperson for Bangladesh Railway, there is no possibility of resuming railway services in the next 'two to three days.' Earlier, railway authorities had said that train services will resume from Thursday following the one-week closure.
On Wednesday, Railway Ministry Secretary Humayun Kabir said that commuter trains will run from Dhaka to nearby stations from 10am to 5pm. The decision on when to resume intercity train services will be taken at a later time.
Despite the announcement, no trains were running in the city on Thursday.
When asked about this, Dhaka Airport Station Master Mahmudul Hasan told bdnews24.com: "Two local trains were supposed to run from Thursday morning. But the authorities have revoked the decision. No train is operating."
However, he was unable to confirm why the decision was reversed.
An official of the Bangladesh Railway, who wished to remain anonymous, told bdnews24.com: "I cannot say why the decision was withdrawn. But, certainly, the trains will not run in the next two to three days."
bdnews24.com was unable to get a statement from Bangladesh Railway authorities on Thursday as officials were holding a meeting to discuss the issue.
Railway services were halted in various areas including Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram, Feni, Mymensingh, and Rangpur on Jul 16, due to the violence surrounding the movement protesting for reforms to quotas for government jobs. Train operations were paused for several hours due to the protests.
Although train operations were smooth on Jul 17, railway service was halted indefinitely due to the 'complete shutdown' programme held by the protestors on Jul 18.
Several railway tracks were set on fire in Dhaka's Mohakhali and similar incidents were reported across the country amid the protests. All train operations were shut down after two metro rail stations were damaged and various government facilities were attacked later that day.
Acts of violence escalated on Jul 19 and led the government to announce a nationwide curfew from Friday.
Public transport was not running in the city, despite the curfew being relaxed for two hours on Jul 20 and Jul 21.
The government later relaxed the curfew from 10am to 5am on Jul 24 and Jul 25.
The number of public transport vehicles increased in the capital, causing severe traffic jams following the relaxation of the curfew on Thursday. Inter-district buses were also seen operating on shorter routes.
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