Three more trains to be handed over to private management to increase revenue

Railway Eastern Zone has taken an initiative to hand over the commercial operations of three more trains to private management to increase revenue. The trains are the Jaria Local on the Mymensingh–Jaria Jhajhaingail route, Narayanganj Commuter on the Dhaka–Narayanganj route and Narsingdi Commuter on the Dhaka–Narsingdi route.

At present, eight trains in the Eastern Zone are operated under private management. With the addition of the three new trains, the number will rise to 11.

Railway officials say that because of a shortage of manpower, tickets cannot be checked regularly for all passengers. Many people board trains without tickets. Others buy tickets for shorter distances but travel to destinations farther away.

Against this backdrop, the three trains are being considered for private management. Officials expect this to make ticket sales, ticket inspection and fare collection more effective.

Sujit Kumar Biswas, chief commercial manager of Railway Eastern Zone, told Prothom Alo that the railway expects to earn more revenue from the three trains once they are placed under private management.

The eight trains currently operating under private management in the Eastern Zone are Karnaphuli Commuter on the Dhaka–Chattogram route, Sagarika Commuter on the Chattogram–Chandpur route, Balaka Commuter on the Dhaka–Jaria Jhajhaingail route, Titas Commuter on the Dhaka–Akhaura route, Titas Commuter on the Dhaka–Brahmanbaria route, Mahua Commuter on the Dhaka–Mohanganj route, Jamalpur Commuter on the Dhaka–Dewanganj Bazar route and Dewanganj Commuter.

Decision taken for six trains, three for now

According to railway sources, a decision was taken in April this year to place six trains under private management to improve passenger services and increase revenue.

Besides Jaria Local, Narayanganj Commuter and Narsingdi Commuter, the list included Samatat Express on the Noakhali–Laksam route, Noakhali Express on the Noakhali–Dhaka route and Nazirhat Local on the Chattogram–Nazirhat route.

However, sources in Railway Eastern Zone said only three trains are being handed over to private management for now. Samatat Express and Noakhali Express are currently out of service because of a shortage of locomotives.

Nazirhat Local, meanwhile, is not being handed over to private management at this stage because an initiative has been taken to upgrade its coaches. Once the upgrade is complete, the train is also planned to be placed under private management.

The Jaria Local, which is being considered for private management for now, operates eight times a day (four pairs), Narayanganj Commuter 16 times (eight pairs) and Narsingdi Commuter twice (one pair). Railway recently published a tender notice to appoint private contractors to handle the commercial operations of the three trains. Tender forms can be collected until 5 October, and the deadline for submitting bids is 6 October.

Ticket inspection difficult

Railway officials say passenger turnover is high on local and commuter trains. These trains operate over short distances and stop at many stations along the way. As a result, large numbers of passengers board and get off at each station. Adequate manpower is needed to check their tickets and manage passengers.

However, the railway has been facing a manpower shortage for a long time. In particular, because of shortages in the commercial department, including ticket examiners, it is not possible to check tickets regularly on all trains.

As a result, passengers can sometimes board trains without buying tickets at the station. Others travel to destinations farther away after buying tickets for only part of the journey. This causes revenue losses for the railway. Railway officials believe that assigning responsibility for ticket sales and inspection, fare collection and record-keeping to private companies could help reduce the number of passengers travelling without tickets.

Three trains generate nearly Tk 45 million

According to railway data, Narayanganj Commuter, Narsingdi Commuter and Jaria Local generated Tk 44.4 million in revenue in the latest 2025–26 fiscal year. During the period, the three trains carried 1.095 million passengers. Railway officials expect these trains to generate more revenue after being placed under private management.

According to railway data, the eight trains whose commercial operations are currently being managed privately generated Tk 105.1 million in revenue when they were last operated under government management. After being placed under private management, they generated Tk 263.3 million in the 2024–25 fiscal year. That means revenue increased by Tk 158.2 million.