Railway renovating 57 stations for better service

Bangladesh Railways (BR) is refurbishing 57 stations in both the east and west zones to improve passenger service and ensure a comfortable train journey.

The renovation work includes raising the height of the station platforms 2.3 feet so that passengers can more easily board trains without risk.

The modernisation of platforms with adequate waiting rooms and installing access control fences to reduce the number of passengers hitching free rides without tickets is also in process.

Some of the platforms have already been renovated on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Jamalpur routes and the rest are in progress.

"We are working to complete the project by the end of this fiscal year," Md Shubaktogin, chief engineer for the East Zone of Bangladesh Railways, told The Business Standard.

"This project has been taken up to provide comfortable rail services to commuters as part of Bangabandhu's birth centenary programme."

The East Zone will renovate 28 of 57 stations.

East Zone officials said some station platforms are very low and commuters, especially the elderly, often find it difficult to get on board trains.

Once the height of the platforms is raised, passengers will no longer face trouble getting on trains.

On 21 October, six such refurbished stations were inaugurated on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Jamalpur routes, and some other stations are scheduled to open at the end of this week.

As part of the renovation, the waiting rooms at the railway stations will be modernised, adding adequate washrooms, sitting arrangements, and other such facilities.

Apart from this, access control fences will be built at all stations to reduce the number of people getting on trains without paying ticket fares.

Under the project, around 850km of old railway tracks and 100 passenger coaches will be renovated in the east and west zones of the railway system.

At present, there are 228 stations in the East Zone and 255 in the West Zone.