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Severe shortages of locomotives, passenger coaches, and drivers have pushed Bangladesh Railway (BR) into a deep operational crisis, frequently stranding passengers and choking freight transport across the country.
With no immediate relief in sight due to lengthy procurement cycles, senior officials admit the state-owned operator is struggling to maintain even basic services.
“I cannot sleep properly at night due to recurring engine failures and train halts,” a BR director told the Daily Sun, requesting anonymity.
“I receive calls from desperate passengers and senior government officials whenever a service breaks down. When a locomotive fails, we have virtually no replacements.”
The deficit severely impacts both passenger lines and industrial logistics.
According to official figures, BR can allocate just three to five locomotives daily for container freight.
The repercussions were starkly illustrated on 15 September when the Jamalpur-bound Agnibina Express broke down at Shreepur in Gazipur, leaving hundreds stranded for three hours until a relief engine arrived from Mymensingh. Similarly, on 26 August, the Chattola Express halted at Pubail shortly after departing Kamalapur, stranding passengers for over an hour.
Freight movements face even grimmer delays.
On 28 June, a container train departing Chattogram Goods Port Yard for Dhaka’s Kamalapur Inland Container Depot broke down in the Hasanpur-Nangalkot section.
Lacking a replacement engine, the train sat idle on the tracks, eventually completing a scheduled nine-and-a-half-hour journey in nearly 75 hours.
Data from BR sources reveals a severe deficit in metre-gauge (MG) locomotives and broad-gauge (BG) coaches.
Out of 119 MG and 150 BG locomotives, only 90 and 85 are currently operational, with 20 undergoing repairs. The human resource deficit is equally critical: of the 2,236 sanctioned posts for loco-masters (drivers), only 1,390 are filled, leaving a staggering 38% vacancy rate.
BR officials caution that the crisis will persist as acquiring new rolling stock takes years.
Delivery of 20 BG coaches from India under a 200-coach procurement contract has suffered repeated delays.
Zaidul Islam, project director, said the delivery schedule keeps shifting, though Indian suppliers now promise the batch by the final quarter of the month.
To address the engine shortage, BR Chief Planning Officer Rafiqul Islam stated that a project to procure 30 MG diesel-electric locomotives – funded by a $164.57 million loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) – awaits approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
Another initiative to acquire 30 MG engines under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar project is currently at the tendering stage, with bids closing on 3 November.
However, officials warn manufacturing and delivery will take at least two to three years.
In the interim, the ministry is resorting to stopgap measures. Railways Ministry Secretary Fahimul Islam confirmed that BR is re-engaging 50 retired loco-masters on contract to plug staffing gaps.
“We have no alternative but to rely on repairs,” Fahimul said, noting that BR plans to sign an engine overhauling contract with US manufacturer Progress Rail, subject to approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.