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A parliamentary standing committee has directed the Ministry of Railways to take steps to turn Bangladesh Railway’s losses into profits and recruit adequate staff for railway level crossings to improve safety.
The directives were issued at the committee’s second meeting on Monday, chaired by Mohammad Ali Asgar at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Committee members Habibur Rashid, state minister for railways, Md Abdul Mohit Talukdar, Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto and Muhammad Azizur Rahman attended the meeting.
The meeting was informed that container transportation was operating regularly on the Chattogram–Dhaka route, while fuel and food grains were also being transported to different destinations.
However, a shortage of metre-gauge locomotives in Bangladesh Railway’s fleet has reduced the number of freight trains in operation.
A project development proposal (DPP) for procuring 30 metre-gauge locomotives has recently been approved, while tenders have been invited for another 30 locomotives under a previously approved project.
The meeting was told that acquiring 60 locomotives by 2029 could increase freight services carrying containers, fuel, food grains and other goods, helping boost railway revenue.
The procurement of another 20 metre-gauge locomotives is also being processed under the World Bank-supported Green Railway project.
Bangladesh Railway is currently transporting molasses on a limited scale from Mongla Port to Saidabad in Tangail and Joypurhat. The meeting was informed that there was no current demand for transporting other goods from Mongla through the railway.
Train services numbered 95 and 96 are operating on the Mongla–Benapole route, according to a progress report presented by the ministry.
The railway is also expected to add 200 broad-gauge coaches to its fleet in phases.
Eighteen coaches have already arrived, and a decision on operating trains between Mongla and Dhaka will be made as the remaining coaches become available.
The committee also discussed measures to ensure transparency in the online railway ticketing system.
It recommended that the ministry take necessary steps to assess the feasibility of a railway line from Bhanga to Barishal and introduce a morning commuter train service between Benapole and Khulna.
The directives form part of the committee’s broader efforts to improve railway operations, strengthen safety at level crossings and increase revenue through more efficient passenger and freight services.
