United News of Bangladesh

The Railways Ministry has formed a high-powered committee to review the draft specifications prepared for the procurement of 30 metre-gauge locomotives for Bangladesh Railway. Headed by Sheikh Moinuddin, special assistant to the chief adviser of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Ministry of Railways, the committee has been asked to submit the report within the next 15 working days. The other members of the committee are: Director General of Bangladesh Railway, the Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) and a professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet). Additional Director General (Rolling Stock) of Bangladesh Railway has been appointed as the member secretary of the committee. The committee also has the authority to co-opt additional members as required, according to an official notification. Bangladesh Railway urges people’s cooperation to prevent accidents The procurement process for the 30 metre-gauge locomotives is currently underway under the "Conversion of Chattogram-Dohazari Meter-Gauge Railway Line into Dual-Gauge" project, being implemented by Bangladesh Railway. Draft specifications for the procurement have already been prepared by the railway authority. The Railways Ministry noted that various criticisms and negative discussions have surfaced on social media regarding the draft specifications. In response and to ensure a transparent and competitive tender process, the ministry has tasked the newly formed committee with thoroughly reviewing the draft specifications and submitting a comprehensive report. The committee will evaluate the performance, modern technology, fuel efficiency, availability of spare parts, international compatibility and suitability of the proposed locomotives and components for Bangladesh’s environment.

Sheikh Moinuddin, special assistant to the chief adviser, has been given executive authority over the Ministry of Railways. The Cabinet Division issued a notification in this regard on Monday. On March 5,  Moinuddin was appointed special assistant to the chief adviser and was given the executive authority over the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges with the rank of state minister. As per a new order, he has now been given the additional responsibility of assisting the adviser to the Ministry of Railways. Home ministry transfers 16 senior police officials He will also hold executive authority in this ministry, similar to his role in the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry. Besides, Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan is serving as the adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.

Amid growing concerns over a new variant of Covid-19, the Ministry of Railways has urged all train passengers to follow health guidelines and wear masks during their return journeys after the Eid-ul-Azha holidays. The ministry made the appeal in light of a recent surge in Covid-19 infections, according to a media release issued on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has advised the public to wear masks in crowded areas and has particularly recommended that elderly and unwell individuals avoid such places altogether. Besides, the Ministry of Railways has requested that all passengers travelling during the post-Eid rush strictly adhere to health protocols and wear masks to help prevent the spread of the virus. Screening tightened at Benapole border to prevent spread of new Covid variant On June 5, the Director of Disease Control at the Directorate General of Health Services issued directives to this effect. India has witnessed a sudden rise in Covid-19 cases since late May, more than five years after the virus was first declared a global pandemic. Bangladesh reported three new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours up to Sunday morning. With the latest figures, the country’s total Covid-19 caseload has risen to 2,021,742, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Bangladesh reports 3 more Covid-19 cases The official death toll from the disease remains unchanged at 29,500, as no new fatalities were reported during this period. The daily case test positivity rate was 75 percent, with four samples tested, according to the DGHS. The recovery and death rates stood at 98.42 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively.  

Bangladesh Railway will start selling advance train tickets on April 23 on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. Advance train tickets of April 27 will be available on April 23, Additional Director General (Operation) of Bangladesh Railway Sardar Shahadat told UNB. The advance tickets of April 28, 29, 30 and May 1 will be available on April 24, 25, 26 and 27 respectively. Also read: No launch ticket without NID cards during Eid: Khalid Besides, the selling of return tickets will begin from the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr, he said. Details about the selling of advance train tickets will be known after a meeting on April 13. Also read: Online train ticket sale to resume from 6 pm Friday for March 26

Trains will run with full passenger capacity from Wednesday (February 9) as the authorities decided to relax the Cobid-19 curbs amid declining infection. The railways ministry took the decision following the fall in infection rate of Covid-19, said press release issued on Monday. According to the notice, the government has strengthened the vaccination programme and the people are travelling to many places after taking Covid jabs, which increases the pressure of passengers. So it is needed to fulfil the demand of the passengers to roll down the wheel of the economy. Also read: Trains to operate with 50% passengers from Jan 15 The ministry also reminded the train passengers to strictly maintain Covid-19 health guidelines such as wearing mask and use of sanitizer.  Trains were ordered to run at half the capacity on January 15 amid a surge in the pandemic, especially the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus. Also read: No decision yet over operating trains with 50% passengers: Minister

The government has taken a project to bring three districts of the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) -- Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban -- under the railway network for making life in the remote hilly region easier. Initially, officials said, Rangamati will be connected with the railway network and Bangladesh Railway has already started work on setting up a 42-km rail track in the district which is expected to end by 2026. General Manager (Eastern Zone) of Bangladesh Railway Md Jahangir Hossain said Bangladesh Railway will construct the 42-km rail link from Raozan upazila to Rangunia via Kaptai involving Tk 8.926 crore. Read: Dual gauge railway from Bogura to Sirajganj under LoC soon He said the Economic Relations Division (ERD) has contacted the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jaica) seeking a loan amounting to Tk 7,141 crore for the much-needed project. Recently, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Railways Ministry and Chattogram-6 constituency MP ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury said Rangamati will be brought under the country’s railway network. “The government has taken the project to ease transportation of goods produced in Rangamati to Chattogram city and other parts of the country, and ensure train services for tourists,” he said while speaking at a programme at Kumira in Sitakunda upazila. The government also has a plan to connect Khagrachchari and Bandarban districts with the country’s railway network, he said. “The government has planned to establish 55 new railway stations across the country and 26 of these will be set up in the eastern region. Besides, train service will be launched from Nazirhat to Ramgarh Land port,” he added. Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujon at a programme in Dhaka recently said the government has taken a project titled “Janalihat-Cuet-Kaptai Dual gauge Rail Tracks” and a preliminary development project proforma/proposal (PDPP) has been prepared.

A special “cattle train” left here on Saturday carrying 77  cows and six goats in its inaugural service for markets in the capital city ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, officials said. The special service will run on Chapainawabganj-Rajshahi-Tejgaon (Dhaka) route. Also read: Special cattle trains ahead of Eid-ul-Azha Lawmaker from Chapainawabganj-1 Dr Shamil Uddin Ahmed Shamil inaugurated the train service at Chapainawabganj railway station this afternoon. The cattle wagons – each with 20 cows - will be added to the Mango special train, already operating on the route. Assistant station Master Obaidullah at Chapainawabganj said the Railways ministry has decided to run the special cattle service considering the health hazards of ongoing Covid-19. Also read: PM launches special mango train on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route Transportation cost for each cow has been fixed at Tk 592 and for goat at Tk 292. The train service will continue until July 19, he added.

The Railways Ministry has decided to run special cattle trains for ferrying sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha amid a worsening Covid-19 situation in the country. Shoriful Alam, senior information officer of the Ministry, told UNB on Tuesday that Bangladesh Railways will operate the trains from July 17-19. "Their numbers will vary everyday, depending on the demand of the traders." Read:1.5 lac cattle ready for slaughter in Chapainawabganj, but will Covid-19 stand in the way? Initially the trains will run from Dewan Bazar of Jamalpur to Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka. Besides, the ministry has also made necessary arrangements to transport animals from Khulna and Chapainawabganj. "If cattle traders are interested, special trains will be run on these routes too,” said Shoriful. Eid ul Azha is expected to be celebrated in around a fortnight's time in Bangladesh, depending on the sighting of the moon.  Read: No cattle from outside country ahead of Eid-ul-Azha: Livestock Minister The country is currently in the middle of a strict lockdown due to Covid-19. But many frontier districts have been in lockdown since the last week of May, when cases started shooting up after the Delta variant of the virus, then known as the Indian variant, was detected in many patients. In this situation, cattle farmers may face some extra bottlenecks in transporting the animals  to different parts of the country. So, the decision to operate a special train might come as a great relief to many of them.

Authorities have suspended train services on several routes from Tuesday as strict restrictions have been enforced in some districts to stem the spread of coronavirus. According to a notice issued by the Railways Ministry, two train services in Gazipur-Turag Express and Kaliakair Commuter Train were suspended from 6 am on Tuesday for nine days. Read:Suspension of long-haul bus services makes people’s journeys arduous No inter-city train will stop in Gazipur during the period. Besides, services of Tungipara Express train on Gopalganj-Rajshahi route , Nakshikatha Express on Khulna-Rajbari route, and Rajbari Express train on Rajbari-Bhanga-Rajbari route have been suspended. Read:Passenger vessel movement suspended in 7 districts All Khulna-bound passenger trains have been asked to halt operation at Jashore stoppage. The suspension of services will remain in force until June 30 or the lockdown period announced for some districts.

Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan on Wednesday said the construction of a railway-cum-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River at Kalurghat in Chattogram will begin early next year.