Engine shortage may hit goods train operations during Eid-ul-Fitr 

The shortage of engines in Bangladesh Railway (BR) has led to a decrease in the number of container trains available for transporting goods.

The situation may worsen during Eid-ul-Fitr, as passenger trains will be prioritised, and working hours will be reduced to accommodate religious observance.

As a result, there is growing concern about an increase in the backlog of goods containers at the depots of Chattogram Port.

Enamul Karim, director (transport) of the Chattogram Port Authority, told The Business Standard, "The number of container trains running is fewer than the demand, and the number of trains has decreased. The depot can hold 800 containers, but currently, there are 1,400 containers piled up. This is increasing transportation costs for both importers and exporters. The chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority has discussed the matter with the director general of Bangladesh Railway, and they have stated that the issue will persist until the rolling stock shortage is resolved."

According to data from the Chattogram Goods Port Yard (CGPY), 27 container trains departed from the Chattogram depot for the Dhaka Inland Container Depot (ICD) in the first 15 days of this month.

On average, a maximum of two container trains is running daily, with some days seeing none at all. In contrast, a year ago, three to four container trains operated on this route daily.

The number of trains is gradually decreasing due to shortages of engines and workforce.

The CGPY requires a total of 15 locomotives to transport fuel, stones, food grains, and industrial raw materials.

Currently, it receives only seven locomotives regularly. For container trains alone, against a demand of seven locomotives, CGPY is currently receiving only two.

Container trains from the Chattogram depot to the Dhaka ICD operate at a speed of 45 kilometres per hour, taking 18 to 22 hours to complete the journey.

Each train can carry either 32 forty-foot containers or 64 twenty-foot containers. Due to the reduced number of trains, it now takes a week to get a slot for container shipment, compared to just two days previously.

Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, general secretary of Bangladesh's Container Shipping Association (BCSA), told The Business Standard, "I have repeatedly contacted the port authorities, and they referred me to the railway authorities. I have also approached the railway authorities, but the issue remains unresolved. Due to insufficient train operations and slow transportation, importers and exporters have to bear additional port charges. Moreover, goods cannot be transported on time. The crisis will worsen during Ramadan unless the railway takes special measures beforehand."

According to the Railway Transport and Mechanical Engineering Department, over 3,000 coaches and around 500 locomotives are needed to operate all trains.

However, BR currently has around 2,500 coaches and 300 engines, and not all of them are operational. Most of the engines and coaches have exceeded their lifespan, with around 2,000 active coaches and about 200 active engines remaining. Another significant issue facing the railway is a shortage of manpower.

CGPY is under the eastern region, which has 1,131 coaches and 76 engines that are operational, where the demand is 1,500 coaches and 116 engines.

According to the railway, around Tk1 lakh crore has been invested in the development of BR over the last ten years.

Of this amount, around Tk70,000 crore has been allocated for the construction of railway lines, bridges, buildings, and the purchase of engines and coaches.

While the railway has added roughly 800 coaches and 30 locomotives, the new engines and coaches are too large to operate on older bridges.

Plans are underway to import about 300 new engines, but this process will take at least two more years. Consequently, the railway sector is incurring annual losses exceeding Tk 2,000 crore.

Md Anisur Rahman, divisional traffic officer of (Chattogram) BR, told the Business Standard, "The crisis surrounding train operations at CGPY will worsen during Ramadan. The issues of engine and workforce shortages are being regularly reported to the higher authorities. However, we have not received any directives so far."