Govt plans to procure 80 new locomotives

Of the 80 locomotives, a proposal to procure 30 has been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the minister said.

He added that the locomotives would be purchased through a tender process in accordance with the rules. It could take another two to two and a half years for them to arrive in the country.

The minister made the remarks while briefing journalists after inspecting the Central Locomotive Factory in Parbatipur, Dinajpur, on Tuesday afternoon.

Sheikh Robiul Alam said efforts were underway to expedite projects aimed at strengthening railway capacity. The timely procurement of new locomotives would help make railway operations more efficient.

Speaking about the overall development of the railway sector, he said the previous government had spent Tk 263,000 crore on railways over 18 years, but the expected development had not materialised.

He attributed the shortfall to waste, unnecessary expenditure and alleged plundering, adding that railway development had fallen behind in some areas and railway assets had been damaged in others.

The minister said the quality of railway services had not improved as expected over the years, citing a lack of proper oversight of the railway division during the past 18 years.

The current government was working to address the situation, but achieving the desired development and ensuring the services expected by passengers would take some time, he added.

He also said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was actively involved in improving railway services.

Highlighting plans to make rail transport more passenger-friendly, the minister said the government's election manifesto had placed particular emphasis on the railway sector. He noted that there was considerable potential to expand rail-based passenger transport in different parts of the country, particularly in the northern region, which has a long railway heritage.

The government was also working to enable commuters from districts surrounding Dhaka to travel to the capital in the morning and return home at night, he said.

The initiative aims to make travel easier and improve service quality to make Bangladesh Railway more accessible to the public.

State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Mohammad Habibur Rashid, Railways Secretary Fahimul Islam and other railway officials were present at the briefing.

-MT