Railway launches intercity goods van service

Jayantika Express transported 4,600 kg of goods from Dhaka to Sylhet as Bangladesh Railway's first intercity goods van service was launched on Sunday.

The train left Kamalapur station at 11:20am from platform no 5 after Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan inaugurated the service.

Bangladesh Railway generated Tk10,212 in revenue by transporting the goods at Tk2.22 per kg.

"This initiative has been taken to transport goods produced by marginal farmers at low cost. Fish, meat, milk and other agricultural products produced by farmers can be transported in freezing and non-freezing goods vans," the railway minister said.

"The service will help farmers to access the market easily, benefitting them financially. Meanwhile, traders can also easily supply agricultural products to the cities, making products readily available and selling them at fair prices," he added.

The project will also increase the revenue of the railways, which will contribute significantly to the economy of the country as a whole, the minister said.

A total of 16 goods vans have been added to 15 intercity trains. Besides, four more goods vans will be stationed at four regional stations, according to officials.

Regarding the service's preparation, the minister said, "We have talked at various levels, from wholesalers to big businesses, before starting the service. It will need to compete with other modes of transportation to be more adaptable. Agents will be recruited soon to transport goods from the stations."

The Railway Operations Division stated that a plan has been formulated to introduce 125 goods-carrying carriages to the railway. Among them, 75 will be for meter-gauge trains, and 50 will be for broad-gauge trains. There will be 10 freezer vans in the broad-gauge category and 16 freezer vans in the meter-gauge category.

The Dhaka-Sylhet route of the Eastern Railway will include goods vans on the Parabat Express train, and goods will be loaded and unloaded from Dhaka and Sylhet. Goods will also be transported to stations in Paharika and Udayan through the Parabat Express train, including Chattogram, Sylhet, and Sreemangal stations.

On the Bijoy Express route, goods vans will be added to the Chattogram, Mymensingh, Gauripur, Kishoreganj, and Bhairab Bazar stations. On the Brahmaputra Express route, goods vans will be added to Dhaka, Dewanganj, Melandah Bazar, Islampur Bazar, and Jamalpur.

On the Hawor Express route, goods vans will be added to Dhaka, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Mohanganj, and Mahanagar. On the Chattala Express train, goods vans will be added to Dhaka, Chattogram, Narsingdi, Bhairab Bazar, Feni, and Laksam stations.

Seventy-five goods vans have been imported from China. Among these, the first lot of 20 goods vans have been assigned to various trains, and loading and unloading stations have been designated by the Transport Division.

Of the 20 goods vans, 13 are assigned to the Eastern Region and three to the Western Region, with four spare vans stationed at Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, and Lalmonirhat yards.