Freight train movement carrying goods across the country has fallen sharply. After restrictions on transporting containers, fuel and food grains from Chattogram Port, the operation of profitable parcel freight trains has also been disrupted. The Mymensingh Mail on the Chattogram–Mymensingh route, which has been operating irregularly for several months due to a shortage of locomotives, has now effectively stopped running. Yet the train has long been a major means of transport for small and medium-sized traders and entrepreneurs in Chattogram and various other districts. They use it to transport a wide range of goods, including dried fish, agricultural products, shoes, tyres and furniture, at relatively low costs. With the train service suspended in recent days, traders are having to bear additional transportation costs, and sending small consignments to markets centred around distant districts and railway stations has also become increasingly difficult.
According to railway sources, most parcel goods in the eastern region are transported by the Chattogram Mail, Dhaka Mail, Udayan Express and Mymensingh Mail. Two dedicated coaches for carrying goods are regularly attached to each of these trains. But the service of the Mymensingh Mail, trains No 37 Up and 38 Down operating on the Chattogram–Mymensingh route, has become irregular over the past few months. The train has effectively stopped running in recent days. The attachment of parcel coaches to the No 1 Up Dhaka Mail, No 2 Down Chattogram Mail and the Up and Down services of the Udayan Express has also become irregular.
Affected traders have also written to the railway authorities over the suspension of the Mymensingh Mail service. In the letter addressed to the general manager (GM) of Bangladesh Railway’s eastern zone, they said small and medium-sized traders and entrepreneurs in Chattogram had been using trains No 37 and 38 to transport goods to and from Mymensingh for the past 40 years. They particularly use the train to transport dried agricultural products, dried fish, ginger, tyres, shoes, cotton and furniture. Although the train had been operating irregularly for some time, the service has recently come to a virtual halt. The traders claimed in the letter that this has left not only businesses in Chattogram but also traders, labourers, porters and others associated with businesses centred around various stations along the route facing unemployment and a downturn in business.
When contacted, Bangladesh Railway Eastern Zone General Manager Md Shuboktagin told Bonik Barta, “The shortage of locomotives has made it difficult to operate railway services. Services such as the Mymensingh Mail have also become irregular. This is temporary. Besides meeting the demands of traders, it’s essential to resume the train service to maintain the railway’s revenue.”
He said the popular train on the Mymensingh route could be resumed soon if the railway’s metre-gauge locomotives can be brought back into operation through repairs.
According to railway data, in May, the railway earned BDT 618,600 by transporting 272,415 kg of goods in 6,362 packages on the No 37 Up Mymensingh Mail (Chattogram–Mymensingh). During the same month, it earned around BDT 1.17 million by transporting 171,650 kg of goods in 3,040 packages on the No 1 Up Chattogram–Dhaka Mail, while the No 723 Udayan Express (Chattogram–Sylhet) generated BDT 462,560 from 7,101 packages. Altogether, the railway earned BDT 2.25 million from the three trains in May, transporting a total of 657,880 kg of parcel goods.
In June, the railway earned around BDT 3.16 million by transporting 660,855 kg of goods through 16,244 bookings, while it earned nearly BDT 3.04 million in July from 17,640 bookings involving 743,000 kg of goods. Of this, the No 37 Mymensingh Mail generated BDT 642,970 from 6,067 bookings in June, whereas the same train generated BDT 681,060 from 6,879 bookings in July.
Md Abdur Rahim, proprietor of Chattogram-based business M/s Hashem Enterprise, told Bonik Barta that traders use the parcel service on this train to transport products from Chattogram to five or six districts. They rely on the railway because of its low transportation costs, convenient connectivity and security, as well as the ease of delivering goods to markets centred around railway stations. By contrast, sending goods to these markets by bus or courier services involves various difficulties. The service had been operating irregularly for some time before eventually being suspended altogether. He believes the service should be resumed quickly in the interests of small and medium-sized businesses.
People familiar with railway operations said the Mymensingh Mail handles 6,000–7,000 parcel bookings every month. The train has two parcel wagons attached to it. Along the route, traders load and unload goods at around 50 large and small stations, including Chattogram, Feni, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Mymensingh, Jamalpur and Tangail.
Railway officials and business representatives said thousands of labourers, porters and transport workers, as well as traders, depend on the transportation of parcel goods on the No 37 and 38 Mymensingh Mail services. Workers particularly involved in loading and unloading goods at various stations between Chattogram and Tangail are now facing a shortage of work and income. Small traders are also facing a major crisis because parcel coaches are being attached irregularly to the No 1 Up and No 2 Down Chattogram–Dhaka Mail services and the Udayan Express, although these trains are still operating. Those concerned believe that if the situation continues, the railway’s revenue from the goods transportation sector will also be adversely affected.
Traders say railway services are relatively convenient for transporting small and medium-sized consignments. They have to pay the railway BDT 2.62 per kilogramme to transport goods. They opt for the railway because it allows them to deliver goods to customers or other businesses at a lower cost and with greater security. For young entrepreneurs and those operating with limited capital in particular, transporting goods by courier services, bus or other means is comparatively expensive. Moreover, the proximity of major markets such as Reazuddin Bazar, Teribazar, Khatunganj, Chaktai, Asadganj and Fishery Ghat to Chattogram railway station has made the railway’s parcel service popular among traders.
Mohammad Alauddin, a trader who supplies dried fish, fish, tyres and various vehicle parts from Chattogram, told Bonik Barta, “I’ve been doing business with traders in several districts through the Mymensingh Mail for the past two decades. Transporting goods by other means is not only troublesome but also more expensive. This safe and affordable railway service for transporting goods in different quantities for small traders is now suspended. On behalf of thousands of small traders in Chattogram, I’ve already appealed to the railway authorities to resume the service as soon as possible. But the railway administration has yet to make any decision on resuming the Mymensingh Mail because of the locomotive shortage.”
The No 37 Up Mymensingh Mail operating from Chattogram did not run on June 17, 20, 23, 26 and 29. Consequently, the No 38 Down service was also suspended on July 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 20, 23 and 26, while the No 37 Mymensingh Mail also did not run on August 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19. After the service remained suspended from August 21 to 29, the train was operated once on August 30. But the railway was unable to operate any further service up to September 6.
Asked about the matter, Mostafizur Rahaman Bhuiyan, divisional railway manager (DRM) of Bangladesh Railway Eastern Zone, told Bonik Barta, “The locomotive shortage has affected the operation of both passenger and freight trains. As priority is being given to important intercity passenger trains, the services of some comparatively less important trains are being cancelled irregularly or suspended temporarily. Efforts are underway to restore these services by repairing locomotives and supplying them to the transport department as soon as possible.”
He said the railway’s higher authorities were already in contact with the engineering department to ensure regular operation of the No 37 Up train bound for Mymensingh.