Railway East Zone proposes fare hike through additional charges
Bangladesh Railways’ East Zone is planning to introduce a new fare hike for train travel. A proposal in this regard has recently been sent to the Railway Board in Dhaka. If implemented, passengers on at least eight routes under the Railway East Zone will have to pay more.
This time, the railway is not directly raising ticket prices. Instead, fares will increase through the imposition of a “pontage charge”. At present, the fare for a Snigdha-class seat, including VAT, on the non-stop Subarna and Sonar Bangla Express trains on the Dhaka–Chattogram route is Tk 855.
With the new charge, the fare will rise to Tk 945, meaning passengers will have to pay Tk 90 more. Depending on the type of train and seat class, the hike will range between Tk 15 and Tk 220. The last time railway fares were increased was in the 2016–17 fiscal.
According to railway terminology, the pontage charge is an additional fee levied when a railway line includes a bridge or similar structure. In such cases, a bridge 100 meters in length will be considered equivalent to 2.5 kilometres of distance. This artificially increases the route length on paper, and fares rise accordingly.
Sources said that East Zone Railway has proposed introducing the pontage charge on routes with bridges 100 meters or longer. Data from the engineering department shows there are 28 such bridges across eight routes in the east zone.
From July to December last year, the railway earned Tk 8.36 billion from passenger and freight services and other sectors, while spending Tk 21.48 billion. In recent years, it has consistently posted average annual losses of over Tk 20 billion. Back in 2005, the railway spent Tk 1.46 for every Tk 1 it earned.
From July to December last year, the railway earned Tk 8.36 billion from passenger and freight services and other sectors, while spending Tk 21.48 billion. In recent years, it has consistently posted average annual losses of over Tk 20 billion. Back in 2005, the railway spent Tk 1.46 for every Tk 1 it earned.
On 25 May, a meeting was held at the office of the Director General of Railways to address losses and discuss ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.
Railway Secretary Fahimul Islam, who was present as chief guest, advised increasing earnings without raising the base fare. He instructed officials to introduce pontage charges for bridges longer than 100 meters in the East Zone.
The Chief Commercial Office of Railway east Zone has confirmed that a proposal based on pontage charges has already been sent to the Railway Board. Eastern Railway covers the divisions of Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, and Mymensingh.
Eastern Railway’s Chief Commercial Manager Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman told Prothom Alo, a proposal for a fare hike based on pontage charges has been sent to the Railway Board. However, the process of approval and implementation will take some time.
How much fare to be increased
The Chief Commercial Office has already prepared a list of proposed fares including the new charge. The process of collecting those fares will begin once administrative approval is given. Separate fare proposals have been prepared for regular trains and intercity non-stop trains.
Currently, the distance on the Dhaka–Chattogram route is 346 kilometres. With the pontage charge, it will rise to 381 kilometres.
The Chief Commercial Office has already prepared a list of proposed fares including the new charge. The process of collecting those fares will begin once administrative approval is given.
As a result, mail train fares will increase from Tk 135 to Tk 150. Commuter fares will rise by Tk 20 and Shovon chair fares by Tk 40. Intercity Snigdha-class fares will go up from Tk 777 to Tk 850, an increase of Tk 73. AC berth fares, currently Tk 1,448, will rise by Tk 140.
On non-stop trains such as Subarna and Sonar Bangla Express, Snigdha-class fares will rise from Tk 855 to Tk 945, an increase of Tk 90. First berth and AC seat fares will increase by Tk 100 to Tk 110, while AC berth fares will rise by around Tk 160 from the current Tk 1,587.
On the Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar and Parjotok Express routes, Snigdha-class fares will increase from Tk 1,322 to Tk 1,450, an increase of Tk 128. First berth and AC seat fares will rise by Tk 150 each. AC berth fares, currently Tk 2,430, will increase to Tk 2,656, a hike of Tk 226.
Criticising the move, SM Nazer Hossain, Vice President of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said, there is no transparency or accountability in the railway’s project expenditures or operating costs. On the contrary, there are widespread irregularities. Revenue collection processes also lack transparency.
Instead of increasing fares through such tactics, the railway should focus on stopping irregularities and reducing unnecessary expenses, he added.