Trains in Bangladesh like everywhere in the world are getting increasingly popular among the travellers, but it is sad to note that potentials of Bangladesh railway are still remain unutilised and the department is a losing concern.

Bangladesh is geographically a small country, but not so in terms of population. Since road travel in the country is unsafe and air travel is costly, most people want to travel by trains. The demand for trains is huge, both for short and long distance travel. But the government’s response to this demand is quite inadequate.

Behind this failure of railway lies mismanagement and ineptness of rail administration that could not increase the rail infrastructure in the first place. Far from it, even the existing stations and rail tracks are getting shrunk. According to a report of this newspaper yesterday 13 railway stations in Cumilla have been lying inactive for the last 12 years for the lack of manpower, causing sufferings to the commuters and forcing people to use the alternative modes of transportation. The report further said that some more stations will soon follow suit.

This is hardly acceptable. The stations and rail tracks that we see today were built and laid down by the British rulers. It is unthinkable that the British found the necessity of these pieces of infrastructure when the population was small but Bangladesh rail authorities are closing down stations when the population is large and the demand for train is huge. It is a pity.

The need is long felt that the rail track connecting major cities of the country should be double, for faster trains running on schedules. We do not know when this need will be fulfilled and woes of rail travellers would be mitigated.

The demand for faster trains for travelling short and long distance is so huge in Bangladesh that rail should become a profitable venture for Bangladesh government. There is a lot to be done to enhance the railway service by taking up a master plan to make trains of the country modern and swifter with increased coverage.