1,000km new tracks at Tk1 lakh crore, yet Railways can hardly take care of engines
Railway chief says replacements should’ve been procured much earlier
Highlights:
- Tk1 lakh crore spent, railway still near collapse
- Over 90 locomotives retired, only 40 new added
- Half of fleet grounded; many engines 50–60 years old
- Freight services paralysed, container yards clogged with cargo
- Chattogram worst hit: over 50% engines out of service
- Passengers suffer frequent delays, breakdowns, and train cancellations
Despite nearly Tk1 lakh crore spent and 1,000 kilometres of new tracks laid over the past 15 years, Bangladesh's railway system is on the brink of collapse as engines fail faster than they can be repaired.
From Chattogram to Rajshahi, passengers endure routine delays and cancellations, while freight services—once the backbone of the supply chain—are paralysed, leaving container yards clogged with stranded cargo.
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Bangladesh Railway, divided into East and West zones, has 281 locomotives in its fleet. As of 17 September, 94 were out of service: 39 in the West out of 150, and 55 in the East out of 131.
Rail officials admit years of poor planning, shortages of spare parts, and chronic neglect are to blame. "Engines weren't regularly maintained. The new imports are technologically advanced, but our workshops lack the expertise to handle them," Railway Director General Md Afzal Hossain told The Business Standard.
He added that reliance on metre-gauge engines—less common worldwide—has made sourcing spare parts more difficult. "Imports were delayed, negligence piled up, and budget constraints worsened the crisis. Many engines are 50–60 years old and should have been replaced long ago," he said.
Expansion without direction
Between June 2009 and June 2024, Tk88,000 crore was invested in 121 projects, adding 948km of new track. Yet only 40 new engines were procured.
More than 90 old locomotives—some half a century old—have been retired. A project to buy 70 engines was abandoned last year after 14 years of stalled financing. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway has been losing nearly Tk2,000 crore annually on average over the past decade and a half.
Workshop staffing is another bottleneck. Of 4,800 approved technical posts at Syedpur and Pahartali, only 40% are filled
The Transport and Mechanical Engineering Department estimates the railway needs at least 3,000 coaches and 300 locomotives. In reality, it has just over 2,500 coaches and slightly more than 300 locomotives, half of which have already exceeded their service life. Currently, only about 2,000 coaches and just over 200 locomotives are in working condition.
"Unplanned investments have yielded no real benefits," said transport expert Prof Shamsul Haque of Buet. "Authorities talk of expansion, but without enough engines and coaches, trains simply cannot run. There is no accountability."
Over 50% engines out of service in Ctg
The crisis is most acute in Chattogram, where 42 of the division's 89 engines are grounded due to lack of parts. Half of the 30 South Korean locomotives imported just four years ago have already been sidelined. Their warranty expired last August, but critical components were never secured.
At Chattogram's freight yard, 15 locomotives are needed to move fuel, stone, food grains, and industrial goods. Only seven are operational. Container services require seven engines, yet only two are available.
"At least four freight trains a day are needed to clear port depots, but usually only one or two run," said Khairul Alam Sujon, vice president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association. "Deliveries now take 15–20 days, inflating costs for importers and exporters."
Md Belal Sarker, divisional chief controller of stores, acknowledged that low allocations and sluggish imports caused the shortages. "Parts are now being made to order, and imports have started gradually," he said.
Workshop staffing is another bottleneck. Of 4,800 approved technical posts at Syedpur and Pahartali, only 40% are filled.
Repeated breakdowns
Meanwhile, it is the passengers who keep suffering from the weak management of the railway system. For instance, on 18 May, the Cox's Bazar-bound Saikat Express return journey was cancelled after an engine breakdown.
On 30 July, the Prabal Express stalled for over four hours near Ramu, stranding tourists. On 14 June, the Kalni Express broke down on the Dhaka-Sylhet route, delaying eight other trains by more than two hours.
From January to July, over 150 breakdowns occurred in the eastern zone.
Shihab Zisan Anik, who works at an NGO in Cox's Bazar, told TBS, "Trains in Cox's Bazar are now regularly delayed, with departures often running at least 15 minutes behind schedule."
Md Shahidul Islam, joint director (operations) of Bangladesh Railway, said, "Even profitable routes like Cox's Bazar are affected. Passenger engine failures sometimes force freight diversions, delaying cargo delivery."
