Poor people’s trains taken off the rails one after another

At one time, six local and mail trains operated on the Bhairab–Mymensingh railway route. People could travel to distant markets, workplaces or homes by paying fares of Tk 10–20. During the coronavirus pandemic, four local trains and one mail train on the route were suspended. Only the Mymensingh Mail remained. It too has been suspended since last Monday (24 August).

The distance from Bhairab in Kishoreganj to Mymensingh is 116 kilometres. The fare on the route is Tk 40 for a local train and Tk 55 for a mail train.

As all the local and mail trains were suspended, only intercity trains are now operating on the route. The fare on these trains is Tk 127. They also do not stop at every station. As a result, poor and low-income people on this railway route have lost the opportunity to travel at lower fares and now have to spend more to reach their destinations.

Bangladesh Railway says the Nasirabad train has been temporarily suspended due to an acute shortage of locomotives. The railway authorities, however, have no specific information on when the train will resume operations.

Ibrahimabad Station is located in Bhuapur upazila of Tangail, on the eastern bank of the Jamuna Bridge. The Mymensingh Mail, locally known as the Nasirabad Mail, operates from this station to Chattogram via the Bhairab–Mymensingh railway route.

The distance from Ibrahimabad to Chattogram is 631 kilometres. The train stops at 50 stations along the way. Its official travel time to the destination is 17 hours and 20 minutes. The train departs Ibrahimabad at 3:00 am and reaches Chattogram at 8:20 pm. In the opposite direction, it departs Chattogram at 4:15 pm and reaches Ibrahimabad Station at 9:00 am the following day.

According to railway sources, the Nasirabad train service was kept operational with three rakes, or sets of trains including engines and coaches. For about a month, the train was operated for two days and kept suspended for one day. Later, its operation was suspended without any written announcement.

The Bhairab–Mymensingh railway route is connected to several important railway routes in the country. Trains on the Dhaka–Kishoreganj route use this route. Trains to Chattogram also travel along the same route. Three intercity trains operate on the Dhaka–Kishoreganj route. The Bijoy Express intercity train operates between Jamalpur and Chattogram.

On 24 March 2020, four local trains operating on the Bhairab–Mymensingh route were suspended. The Isha Khan Mail (39/40) was also suspended on 12 March of the same year. The train, which operated from Mymensingh to Dhaka via Bhairab, was known as ‘ Goriber Train (Poor people’s train)’.

The distance from Ibrahimabad to Bhairab is 333 kilometres. The Nasirabad train stopped at 27 stations along this route. It has been learnt that passengers at these stations have been facing the greatest difficulties since the train was suspended. This is particularly the case at small stations where intercity trains do not stop. The minimum fare on local trains was Tk 5, while the minimum fare on mail trains was Tk 15. According to railway sources, the minimum fare on intercity trains is Tk 45.

Locals said local and mail trains were the main mode of transportation for poor and low-income people in the area. This railway route is an important means of communication for people in Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Sherpur and Jamalpur.

According to them, a large section of the population in these areas is engaged in agriculture and local businesses for their livelihoods. Clothes, shoes, cosmetics, mats, paddy, milk, eggs, bananas, chickens, fruits, vegetables and various agricultural products are transported from one market to another. Low-fare local and mail trains played an important role in transporting these goods.

Locals said the cost of transporting these goods would increase following the suspension of the trains. At the same time, the transportation costs of ordinary people would also rise. This would affect the lives of people on the margins. The small, station-based economy would also come to a standstill.

Many people from greater Mymensingh work as labourers in Bhairab, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Cumilla and Chattogram. The Nasirabad train was their main means of transportation between their homes and workplaces. The train never faced a shortage of passengers.

At around 11:45 am last Wednesday, numerous working people were seen waiting for a train on Platform No. 2 of Bhairab Railway Station. Among them were Azizur Rahman, Murshid Mia, Aizuddin and Jewel Mia. All of them are from Purbadhala in Netrokona. They work as agricultural labourers in different villages in Cumilla. They return home once a month. They had returned home by the Nasirabad train a week earlier. On Wednesday, while returning to Cumilla, they went to Purbadhala Station and learned that the train had been suspended. They were forced to change vehicles several times and travel by road to Bhairab Railway Station. From there, they were waiting to travel to Cumilla by the Karnaphuli train.

Azizur Rahman said, “Before, I would board the train in Cumilla and get off at my home station (Purbadhala). It cost Tk 100. Today, it cost me nearly Tk 300 just to reach Bhairab. It will cost another Tk 60 to go to Cumilla.”

Calculating his expenses, Azizur said he paid Tk 10 for an auto-rickshaw from his home to Purbadhala. From there, he took a CNG-run auto-rickshaw to Shyamganj for Tk 40. He then travelled to Gouripur for another Tk 40 and to Khaltapara for Tk 15. He then paid Tk 150 for a bus to reach Bhairab. He spent another Tk 15 to reach the railway station. The train fare to Cumilla is Tk 60.

Before Azizur could finish speaking, another member of the group, Aizuddin, said they used to return home every month or every month and a half. Since the Nasirabad train was suspended, they would not be able to think of returning home before three months.

Puffed rice and eggs produced in Atharbari of Ishwarganj were transported by the Nasirabad train to Cumilla, Laksam, Pahartali and Chattogram. Wholesalers have also been facing difficulties since the train was suspended. Atharbari Station Master Mizanur Rahman said, “With the Nasirabad no longer operating, there is now no train at this station except the intercity Bijoy.”

A railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said many trains on routes that were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic were later resumed. However, the local trains on the Bhairab–Mymensingh route never returned.

Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman, chief operating superintendent (east) of Bangladesh Railway, said the Nasirabad train has mainly been suspended due to a shortage of locomotives (engines). This is temporary. The train will be resumed once the locomotive shortage eases. To somewhat reduce the difficulties in transporting goods, a luggage coach has temporarily been attached to the Bijoy Express.

Asked when the train would resume, he said, “We will have to wait.”

Mofizul Islam, president of local social organisation Bhairab Kakoli Khelaghar Asar, frequently travels to Kishoreganj by train. Expressing his frustration, he said, “The way trains are being suspended one after another, perhaps the day is not far when we will be told that there is a railway line and there are stations on the Bhairab–Mymensingh route, but there are no trains.”