Bangladesh Railway is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains all railways in the country, and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Railway. The Bangladesh Railway is governed by the Ministry of Railways and the Bangladesh Railway Authority with a reporting mark known as "BR". The Bangladesh Railway system has a total length of 3600 km. In 2009, it had 34,168 employees working for the operations. In the year 2014, Bangladesh Railway recorded a ridership of 65 million passengers for a total of 8,135 million passenger-kilometres, and transported 2.52 million tonnes of freight racking up to 677 million tonne-kilometres.

History

Rail transport in Bangladesh (formerly known as British India) began on 15 November 1862, when 53.11 km of (broad gauge) line was opened between Darshana in Chuadanga District and Jogotee in Kushtia District. On 1 January 1871, extension of Darshana - Jogotee Railway line up to Goalanda by Eastern Bengal Railway. On 4 January 1885, a further 14.98 km and (metre gauge) line was opened. In 1891, the Bengal Assam Railway was constructed with the assistance of the government and later managed by the Bengal Assam Railway Company. On 1 July 1895, two sections of metre gauge railway were constructed by English railway companies. One railway connected Chattogram and Comilla, with a distance of 150.6 km. Another was the connection built between Laksam Upazila and Chandpur, with a distance of 51.2 km. In 1947, at the time of the Partition of India, the Bengal Assam Railway was divided into two parts. The 2,603.92 km of track located in East Pakistan, came under the control of the central Government of Pakistan. On 1 February 1961, the Eastern Bengal Railway was renamed the Pakistan Eastern Railway. In 1962, control of the Pakistan Eastern Railway was transferred to the Government of East Pakistan. On 9 June 1962, by order of the president, the Pakistan Eastern Railway management was assumed by a Railway Board. As of 2005, the total length of the Bangladesh Railway is 3600 km. It was composed of 1225 km of broad gauge track (mostly in the western region), 1600 km of metre gauge track (mostly in the central and eastern regions) and 1600 km of dual gauge track. In 1998, the Jamuna Bridge was built to connect the previously divided east and west rail networks in dual gauge. Bangladesh is currently converting its railway system to dual gauge system, to enable both broad gauge and metre gauge trains to run. It is also developing extensive railway transport relations with India. With the Bangladeshi and Indian Governments working side by side, at least 9 International Rail Transit System (IRTS) have come up presently in Bangladesh. They are as follows: - 1. Kolkata-Darsana-Iswardi-Dhaka; 2. Kolkata-Bangaon-Jessore-Khulna; 3. New Jalpaiguri-Haldibari-Chilahati-Iswardi-Dhaka; 4. Changrabandha-Burimari-Lalmonirhat-Teesta-Kaunia-Parbatipur; 5. Parbatipur-Dinajpur-Birol-Radhikapur-Raiganj-Barsoi; 6. Badarpur-Karimganj-Maishasan-Shabazpur-Kulaura-Sylhet/Chittagong; 7. Agartala-Akhaura-Dhaka/Chittagong; 8. Old Malda-Singhabad-Rohanpur-Rajshahi; 9. Eklakhi-Balurghat-Hili. While routes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 are already operational, routes 4 and 6 are being restored with routes 7 and 9 currently nearing construction completion. In 2010, funding was received for a bridge over the Titas River. In September 2010, the Government of Bangladesh approved ten rail development projects costing 19·9 billion Bangladeshi taka including plans for new tracks and rolling stock. To bolster the bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh, the Ministry of Railways in India has supplied 20 Broad Gauge (BG) locomotives to its eastern neighbour, thus contributing to the railway infrastructure of Bangladesh. These locomotives have been appropriately modified by the Indian side to align with the requirements of Bangladesh Railway. The provision of these locomotives will aid in managing the growing volume of passenger and freight train operations in Bangladesh, thereby supporting the enhancement of its railway system. It is worth noting that previously, in June 2020, the Indian Government had granted 10 locomotives to Bangladesh, further contributing to the improvement of its railways. In 2011, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, officiated at the start of construction of a link which would cross several rivers to reach Cox's Bazar. The 100 km of dual gauge line started from the railhead at Dohazari, southeast of Chittagong. The plan was to reach Satkania, Dulahazra, Chakarin, Edgaon, Ramu and Cox's Bazar, with four major river bridges and a 30 km branch from Ramu to Gundum. In 2013, the Chhattogram Circular Railway was completed. In 2015, construction of a 16 km branch to Agartala, Tripura in Northeast India commenced. In 2017, land acquisition took place to facilitate the construction. In 2022, construction of 6250 m long Padma Bridge was completed and the bridge was thrown open after inauguration by Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to connect Dhaka with Faridpur via Narayanganj.

Structure

From the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 until 1982, the railway was governed by a Railway Board. It then came under the Railway Division of the Ministry of Communications. The Director General of the railway was the Secretary of the Railway Division of the Ministry of Communications. In 1995, governance of the railway was assumed by the "Bangladesh Railway Authority" which was chaired by the Minister of Railways. Inspections are made by an external government authority. The features of Bangladesh Railway include the usage of several gauges and the division of the rail system by the Jamuna River, Brahmaputra into the Western Zone and the Eastern Zone of operations. Crossing the river is one bridge, the Jamuna Bridge which was completed in 2003. The East Zone and the West Zone each have a General Manager who answers to the Director General of the Railway Authority. Each zone has its own raft of departments for operation, maintenance, and finances. Each zone is divided into two divisions with departments for personnel, transportation, commercial, finance mechanical, way and works signalling, telecommunication, electrical and medical services. The East Zone has a workshop division in Pahartali. The West Zone's workshop division is in Saidpur. The railway has a central locomotive workshop for broad and metre gauge locomotives in Parbatipur. It also has a Railway Training Academy. There are diesel workshops in Pahartali, Dhaka and Parbatipur. Maintenance on coaches and wagons is carried out at the "C and W" shop in Saidpur, Nilphamari and at the "C and W" shop Pahartali.

Employees

Bangladesh Railway has a total of 25,083 regular employees as of 2020. In 1974, they were represented by three registered trade unions, but by 1999 that had multiplied to eight. According to Chittagong University professor of management Md. Abu Taher, this proliferation weakened the unions and undermined solidarity among the workers. Bangladesh Railway began recruiting women into its top ranks in 2001. Salma Khatun became their first female train driver in 2004 when she joined as an assistant locomaster (ALM). As of 2015, the railway employed 788 ALMs. By 2022, the number of female train drivers had risen to 19. Because of the lack of overnight facilities, and even toilets, for female staff, most prefer the shorter shuttle routes over long distance ones. As of 2019, a total of about two dozen women worked in the railway's mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, stores, traffic, and signals divisions.

Rolling stock

Locomotives

Diesel

Bangladesh Railway's fleet of diesel locomotives includes both diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic machines. In 2007, there were 77 broad gauge diesel-electric locomotives. In 2012, Bangladesh Railway ordered 16 new broad gauge locomotives of 3100 hp from Banaras Locomotive Works, India. There were also 208 metre gauge diesel-electric locomotives including those of classes 2000, 2600, 2700, and 2900. The total number was 285. In 2013, the government purchased 20 sets of diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) trains from China for the first time, aiming to improve short-distance train travel services. However, all 20 DEMU sets have been abandoned ten years later due to lack of maintenance. In 2019, 40 EMD GT42ACLs were ordered from Progress Rail. On 27 July 2020 and 24 May 2023 Indian Railways (IR) handed over 10 and 20 WDM-3D diesel locomotives to Bangladesh Railway under its "grant assistance" plan. The vehicles cost an estimated ₹600 million ($US 8 million) to manufacture.

Steam

A small number of steam locomotives are preserved in Bangladesh. The 762 mm gauge locomotives are from the Rupsa–Bagerhat railway which was the only 762 mm gauge line in East Pakistan in 1947. It was changed to 1,676 mm gauge in 1970.

Freight and cargo services

As a national carrier, Bangladesh Railway is obliged to carry essential commodities such as grain and fertiliser to remote parts of Bangladesh at discounted rates. Bangladesh Railway transports containers from the Port of Chittagong to Dhaka Inland Container Depot, where there are customs facilities. The rolling stock to carry containers was manufactured from existing stock. On 5 August 1991, a container-only train came into service. A goods train operates from Singhabad and Petrapole, India to Rohanpur and Benapole, Bangladesh.

Accidents

Passenger services

Railway is a principal mode of transport in Bangladesh. In the 2005 financial year, 42 million passengers travelled on the Bangladesh Railway. Inter-city services, contribute to over seventy percent of Bangladesh Railway's revenue. In 2014, the railway owned 312 broad gauge coaches and 1,164 metre gauge coaches. In 2017, Bangladesh Railway operated 90 inter-city trains (up and down), 52 mail or express trains, 64 commuter trains (DEMU), 135 shuttle or local trains and 2 international services. Two times per week, a passenger train operates a service to India. In April 2008, the Maitri Express between Dhaka and Kolkata came into operation on the Gede – Darsana route 400 km. On 9 November 2017, a new weekly train, the Bandhan Express, came into operation between Khulna and Kolkata via Petrapole and Benapole 176 km. Recently in 2021, another new weekly train, the Mitali Express, came into operation between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka via Parbatipur and Iswardi 500 km. In addition, many inter-city rail services operate between the nation's two largest cities, Dhaka and Chattogram. Such services may include: The Sonar Bangla Express, Suburno Express, Mohanagar Express, Turna Express, and Chattala Express services. These services provide many options for Bangladeshis to travel between the two destinations. Tickets for Bangladesh Railway services are available at all stations. Most stations are computerized and tickets which can be purchased within four days of departure, are printed. Full refunds (excluding clerical charges) are available up until two days before departure. The railway reserves ten percent of tickets for online sales. Of these tickets, fifteen percent are reserved for mobile phone sales.

Accidents

Accommodation classes

Bangladesh Railway has three main passenger classes, "Air conditioned", "First" and "Second". Most trains do not provide the "Air conditioned" class. On inter-city and long-distance trains, a restaurant car and a power car are included at the centre of the train. All inter-city trains are partially air-conditioned, feature padded leather seats and provide passengers with on-demand sheets, pillows, blankets, as well as meals in a dining car. Some diesel–electric trains provides commuter services.

Railway stations

Kamalapur Railway Station is the central railway station in Dhaka. Other major stations are Khulna railway station, Sylhet railway station, Rajshahi railway station, Chattogram railway station. In 2015, Bangladesh Railway serviced 489 railway stations. These include one block hut, thirteen train halts, and four goods booking points. The schedule of Bangladesh Railway has changed 26 Trains in the new year 2020. The East zone Train schedule will active on 10 January 2020. There are 3 stations with international train services in Bangladesh; they are Dhaka Cantonment railway station, Khulna railway station, and Jashore Junction railway station, All international trains arrive and depart from these stations.