After the running staff of the railways called off their strike, train services resumed the following day. The strike, which began at midnight on Monday, was withdrawn at midnight on Tuesday after the government assured that their demands would be met. The first train left from Kamalapur Station in the capital at 6:30 AM on Wednesday (January 29).
Senior railway officials have stated that despite the assurance of fulfilling the demands, further discussions with the workers are necessary to prevent such situations in the future. During the shutdown, many tickets were refunded, and many passengers used their railway tickets to travel on buses operated by the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC). It will take some time to determine the total financial loss incurred on Tuesday due to these disruptions.
According to railway sources, 112 intercity trains operate across the country daily. Due to this disruption, the railway division in Dhaka has reportedly incurred a loss of at least 10 million Taka, according to multiple sources from the railway department.
On Tuesday, over 30,000 passengers in the capital faced difficulties. Due to the suspension of train services on the 28th and part of the 29th (Wednesday) in the railway’s western region, the losses in this area have exceeded 20 million Taka. Approximately 67,000 passengers in the Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Khulna divisions under the western region had to endure hardships.
According to railway sources, for administrative and operational convenience, Bangladesh Railway’s operations are divided into two regions. The western region includes the Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Khulna divisions, where 58 intercity trains are operated. The eastern region, which consists of the Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, and Mymensingh divisions, operates a total of 54 intercity trains.
According to sources at Kamalapur Station, a total of 66 trains, including 42 intercity and 24 mail trains, depart from this station daily to various parts of the country. No trains have been operating from midnight Tuesday until 6 AM today.
A senior official from the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh Railway, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that it’s difficult to determine the total financial loss nationwide. However, an estimate can be made for the Dhaka Division. In December, around 1 million passengers traveled from Kamalapur Station across the country, generating revenue of 390 million BDT from ticket sales. Based on this average, approximately 33,000 passengers travel from Dhaka daily, contributing to ticket sales of around 13 million BDT. This provides an estimate of Tuesday’s financial loss.
Md. Mohabbat Jan Chowdhury, the Commercial Officer of Bangladesh Railway’s Dhaka Division, told Liberty News that Kamalapur Station alone suffered losses exceeding 10 million BDT. Around 33,000 passengers faced disruptions due to the situation.
Meanwhile, Sujit Kumar Biswas, the Chief Commercial Manager (CCM) of Bangladesh Railway’s Western Region, told Liberty News that train services in the entire Western region remained suspended throughout January 28, and some trains were still not running on Wednesday. The total estimated loss in the Western region amounted to 21.57 million BDT, affecting 67,000 passengers who were deprived of railway services.
Divisional Railway Manager (Chattogram), ABM Kamruzzaman, told Liberty News that the Chattogram division incurs a loss of 50 to 60 lakh taka per day due to train suspensions. He estimated that the total loss in the Eastern region could be around 2 crore taka.
Eastern Railway General Manager, Md. Subaktageen, told Liberty News that the Eastern region falls under the jurisdiction of Dhaka Divisional Railway, so the loss estimate provided by Dhaka is accurate.
Meanwhile, Kamalapur Station Manager, Sajedul Islam, stated that train suspensions on Tuesday resulted in losses of approximately 1.2 crore taka.
Additionally, due to coach balance issues, the Jayantika Express and Burimari Express services were canceled for Wednesday.
Speaking from his office at Kamalapur Railway Station, Sajedul Islam added, “Our station typically generates between 1.15 crore to 1.2 crore taka per day, so the suspension caused significant losses.”
Station Manager Sajedul Islam told Liberty News’ national affairs correspondent, “Passengers of the two canceled trains will be refunded. Those who purchased tickets online will receive their refunds online, while those who bought them directly from the counter will be refunded at the counter. Since the decision (strike withdrawal) was made late at night, no SMS notifications were sent to passengers. We are assessing possible solutions for those who couldn’t travel.”
LND/SAKIB
