Bangladesh Railway welcoming disaster with shortage of signal maintainers

The railway's Maintainer Signal (MS) position, a key cog in keeping rail lines safe, is hazardously understaffed, which needs prompt remedy before another big disaster strikes the country's rail network.

The job description of a signal maintainer is self-explanatory:  they keep signals operational and help ensure a safe train journey.

However, the national railway has 30% fewer signal maintainers than required, leaving train signals unattended for 16 hours a day.

According to the Bangladesh Railway (BR), signal equipment is spread over an area of 1.75 km on either side of each train station.

Infographic: TBS

Coloured in black, red, yellow and green, train drivers have to keep their eyes on warning, outer and home signals before entering any station. 

Accident of Sonar Bangla Express 

On April 16 this year, Sonar Bangla Express hit a waiting freight train at Hasanpur Station on Cumilla's Dhaka-Chattogram railway line due to a signal error. 

At least 50 passengers were injured and seven coaches of the train were severely damaged. 

The accident was caused by signalling errors and negligence in controlling, according to the BR.

As the duty of the Maintainer Signal (MS) in charge was over, no one noticed the signal fault. 

The station master did not close the railway line even though there was a freight train. At that time, the signal error did not come to the notice of the lockmasters as they were eating iftar on the train. 

Even though the time of the accident was outside the schedule of signal maintainer Abdul Wahid, he was suspended.

Bangladesh Railway Signal Association Central Committee General Secretary AMM Elias told The Business Standard, "Signal workers are performing extra duties without additional facilities for the sake of safe train operation. Yet it is unfair to suspend an MS for leaving the station after duty."

Work hours

Once signal maintenance was a 24-hour job.

In view of a court verdict, they are considered as "continuous staff" from 2020 onwards and their work hour was cut to eight hours.

With the new status and working hours, it was decided that each station would have four signal maintainers, including three in three shifts and one additional in case of emergency.

However, each station still has one as before and khalasi (assistant of MS) is on duty from 9am to 5pm.

Therefore, the signals remain unattended for 16 hours due to a lack of manpower.

Staff numbers

According to the BR's Signalling and Telecommunication department, there are currently 171 stations in the eastern region and 189 stations in the western region.

The granted number of signal maintainers for these stations is 272 maintainers and 408 for khalasis.

However, the required numbers for the two posts are- 879 maintainers and 1,318 khalasis, according to an internal report of the railways.  

In contrast, 142 maintainers and 404 khalasis are currently working in the two regions.   

Instead of four maintainers per station, there is only one for four stations in some cases.

The required number was sent to the head office in 2020, but it remains unapproved, said officials of the signalling department. 

They said, in the western region, the number of stations increased after the launch of the new routes of Padma Bridge Rail Link, Mongla, Gopalganj and Pabna.

But the number of sanctioned posts has been reduced. 

Officials of the signalling department declined to comment on the reduction of posts.

Court order only on paper

Earlier when signal maintainers had a 24-hour duty, they could not leave the station and had no vacation, therefore, filed a case in 2009 to change the situation.

In 2014, a High Court ruling asked to fix their working hours. Despite going to the Appellate Division against it, the final verdict came in 2017 in favour of signal workers.

Instructions were issued in December 2020 for its implementation and provision of facilities to signal personnel.

However, they still have to perform additional duties without overtime or additional facilities due to a lack of workers.

Director General of Bangladesh Railway Kamrul Ahsan told TBS, "There was a long-standing problem with the manpower structure. Now recruitment is being done step by step in all departments."