Rail minister blames schedule collapse on passenger pressure

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Shujon has attributed the collapse of train schedules to the excessive pressure of homebound passengers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

He said every train leaving Dhaka is packed with people on its rooftops and engine. Under the circumstances, trains are travelling slower than usual to ensure the safety of the passengers. As a result, the authorities have been unable to maintain the schedule of departure times.

While the rail routes to Chattogram and Sylhet have been fairly smooth ahead of Eid, passengers travelling to Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna have endured countless delays and rescheduling.

Train services on the northern route were disrupted for over three hours after a Khulna-bound Sundarban Express from Dhaka derailed west of the Bangabandhu Bridge in Tangail. The incident triggered a series of delays on the route and left train timetables in shambles.

On Saturday, nearly all rail services to the three divisions were delayed. The situation deteriorated further on Sunday.

With trains running up to 12 hours behind schedule, some passengers were forced to spend an entire night waiting at Kamalapur Railway Station. Many holidaymakers left the station after failing to find a train to travel home.

The schedule collapse forced the authorities to cancel the Eid special Lalmonirhat-bound Lalmoni Express on Sunday. Passengers of the Panchagarh Express were subsequently transferred to the Ekata Express.

Asked about the measures to alleviate the sufferings of passengers, Sujon said: "You can see everything – the speed at which the trains are travelling. There is a schedule but the trains are unable to run at the required speed.”

Pointing to the large number of passengers perched on the rooftops of carriages and around the engines, the minister said the trains were running below the optimal speed to ensure their safety and avoid any major mishap.