Train services come to a halt nationwide, passengers left stranded

Bangladesh’s railway system has come to a complete standstill as train drivers, guards, and other railway staff stopped working over an ongoing dispute. 

The strike, called by the Bangladesh Railway’s Running Staff and Workers Association, is causing major problems for travelers who had no prior warning of the shutdown.

The railway workers are protesting because their demand to add the running allowance to their basic pay for pension and gratuity calculations has not been met. 

This long-standing demand, which they have been fighting for, led to today’s halt in train services across the country.

Station Master Md. Anwar Hossain said that no trains have departed from Dhaka‍‍`s Kamalapur Station since midnight on Monday. 

Many travelers, unaware of the strike, were left waiting with no trains in sight.

At Dhaka’s Kamalapur Station, passengers continued to gather in the morning, hoping to catch their scheduled trains. Most were unaware of the strike until around 9:15 AM when word spread that no trains would be leaving. 

While some passengers left the station after learning about the situation, others, particularly the elderly and women, decided to stay and wait, still hopeful for a change.

Reports from other major stations, including Rajshahi, Chittagong, Khulna, Panchagarh, and Dinajpur, show similar scenes, with passengers waiting on platforms for trains that will not come. 

Many travelers have since turned to other forms of transport to reach their destinations.

The running staff have been asking for a long time that their running allowance be added to their basic pay when calculating pensions and gratuities.

On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Association held a press conference at the old Chittagong Railway Station, warning that if their demands were not met by January 27, they would stop train operations from January 28.

The striking workers include guards, train drivers (locomasters), assistant drivers, and ticket inspectors (TTEs), who spend long hours on the job.

They used to earn extra pay based on their basic salary when working more than eight hours in a day. 

In the past, 75% of their running allowance would also be added to their basic salary when calculating their post-retirement benefits.

However, on November 3, 2021, the Ministry of Finance decided to limit these benefits, causing frustration among the workers. 

Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, an advisor to the Ministry of Railways, said the ministry is currently talking with representatives of the striking workers. 

He urged them not to make the public suffer by stopping train services and asked them to consider the difficulties faced by ordinary citizens.

Many passengers have voiced their frustration over the unexpected disruption, with some saying they will now have to take more expensive and time-consuming journeys due to the strike. 

Others are still waiting at stations, hoping for a resolution.