AppId is over the quota
A change in passengers? type and huge rush of home-bound people cause delay in train operations during Eid festivals, railway officials said.
They said usually young and physically strong people travel by trains all the year round. They can easily get into and get down from the trains.
But during Eid festivals, large numbers of elderly people, women and children go to their village homes to celebrate the religious festivals with their near and dear ones.
Most of them opt for train journey and take more time for getting into and getting down from the trains, causing train delay at every station, the officials said.
They said on average every home-bound passenger carries two big baggages with them during their journey for which they need additional time to load and unload.
And as per the railway rules, no train can leave any station without ensuring entry and exist of all the train passengers, the railway officials said.
?This is very usual that the elderly people, women and children will take more time than the young ones to get into the trains and get down from those,? Md Miajahan, joint director general (operation) of Bangladesh Railway, told daily sun while explaining the reasons of delayed operation of trains during the Eid festivals.
The loading and unloading of baggage also eat up a significant portion of time, he said.
Citing example, Miajahan said Ekota Express has 19 stoppages between Kamalapur and Dinajpur stations. ?If the train consumes additional five minutes at each stoppage, it will be delayed by about one and a half hours.?
He also said as per the railway?s operational manual, no train can leave the platform without ensuring exit and entry of all the designated passengers.
Bangladesh Railway authorities take a lot of flak as almost all of the passenger trains run late by one and two hours from the scheduled time during Eid rush.
?We have to bring the safety of passengers into focus instead of maintaining the schedule while operating the trains during Eid festivals,? the joint director general said.
Khalilur Rahman, BR additional director general (rolling stock), said his department had been trying to operate trains in time despite logistic limitations and huge load of passengers.
?Huge passengers travel on the train roofs. Drivers have to run the trains slowly so that no passenger falls from the roof,? said Rahman, urging people to be rational regarding delay in train operation.
He also said 137 out of total 440 stations are presently closed due to shortage of manpower. The trains have to cross the shut stations slowly as per the railway manual, contributing to the train delay.
Besides, the delay of one train affects the others as there is single rail track in many sections of the railway, said Rahman.
Railway?s operation wing sources said 106 trains (up and down) leave Dhaka for different destinations everyday.
Every year, the railway increases the number of coaches and engines to run trains ahead of the two Eid festivals.
Source: daily-sun.com
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