A treasure trove of Bangladesh’s railway history, including a saloon once used by British royalty and presidents, remains largely hidden from the public eye inside the century-old Saidpur Railway Workshop in Nilphamari.

Bangladesh Railway set up a museum within the workshop in 2020 to showcase antique railway parts used for carriages, wagons, wheels and locomotives and the rich heritage of the facility.

However, since its inception, the museum has been accessible only to a select few, primarily ministers and high-ranking government officials, despite its potential to educate and fascinate ordinary citizens about Bangladesh’s railway history spanning two centuries.

Workshop sources said for being located inside a Key Point Installation KPI), the museum has remained inaccessible to the public.

Besides, Bangladesh Railway has yet to introduce the detailed guidelines for its operation, and there is also a lack of manpower for operating and maintaining the museum.

BR officials, however, said they have a plan to relocate the museum outside the KPI if the government allocates enough manpower and budget for this.

Visiting the Saidpur Railway Workshop, established in 1870, on 24 February, it was observed that the front gate of the museum was locked and there were no arrangements for visitors to access the museum which preserves the old memory of the railway. No general visitors were also seen inside the workshop.

There was an inauguration plaque at the entry point of the museum, which states that it was inaugurated on 29 August 2020 by former Railways Secretary Md Selim Reza.

Peeping into it through the collapsible gate, it was seen that the museum preserves century-old railway parts and tools used for repairing coaches and wagons.

Scattered in the open space outside the museum are notable artifacts, including an old nano-gauge steam locomotive and a coach named ‘President Saloon’. This special saloon is reported to have been used by British Queen Elizabeth and former presidents of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Railway officials suggest that a visit to the workshop and its museum would allow one to witness the evolution of railway technology, from the early steam engines to modern diesel locomotives, and from wooden coaches to those made of steel, aluminum, and iron.

Ibrahim Mahmud Akash, a visitor who was granted special permission to enter the workshop, said the authorities should allow people to witness the history.

“The whole workshop, spread across 110 acres, is itself a museum with century-old infrastructure, old carriages and wagons, and the tools used for their repair and maintenance,” he said.

He further noted the presence of antique nano-gauge locomotives and the President Saloon, urging the railway authorities to preserve and showcase these items for the benefit of ordinary citizens interested in learning about the railway's transformation through different eras.

Talking to the Daily Sun, workshop officials explained that public entry is currently restricted to avoid disrupting the daily operations of the 29 shops within the workshop.

Only authorised individuals like students on internships and higher government officials are allowed to enter the workshop and museum, they said.

Divisional Superintendent of Saidpur Railway Workshop Mostafa Zakir Hasan said they were seriously considering opening the museum for the public in an open and spacious space. 

Talking to the Daily Sun, Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan also said, “I visited the infrastructure in November last year. I am thinking about opening it to the public.”