Train services across the country have come to a complete standstill due to a work stoppage by the railway’s running staff.
Beginning in the early hours of Monday, train operations on multiple routes, including those from the capital Dhaka, were halted, leaving passengers in severe discomfort and uncertainty.
At Dhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Station, large crowds of passengers were seen waiting for trains in the morning, unaware of the suspension.
Similar scenes unfolded at railway stations in Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Panchagarh, and Dinajpur, where people were left stranded, waiting for trains that would not arrive. Many passengers, left without other options, sought alternative means of transport.
Frustrated passengers expressed their distress, saying they had received no prior notice of the disruption. Upon reaching ticket counters, they were met with the grim news of the suspension, forcing them to rethink their travel plans. Families traveling with children bore the brunt of the situation, particularly in the chilly weather.
Shahana Begum, a passenger waiting at Kamalapur Station, said, "I brought my children along because we were planning to go home. Now I hear that the trains won’t run. I’m at a loss for how we’re supposed to travel now."
Another passenger, Mehedi Hasan, said, "I arrived early, hoping to catch my train, but now they’re saying it won’t run. This has left me in a difficult position."
The railway’s running staff have been protesting for a long time, demanding the inclusion of their running allowances with their basic salary to calculate pensions and gratuities.
Their demands intensified recently when the Railway Running Staff and Workers’ Union held a press conference at the old railway station in Chattogram last Wednesday. They issued an ultimatum to meet their demands by January 27, warning that train services would be halted from January 28 if their demands were ignored.
The running staff includes key personnel such as guards, train drivers (locomasters), assistant drivers, and ticket inspectors (TTEs). These employees often work long hours aboard trains.
Previously, they were entitled to additional compensation for working beyond the standard eight-hour shift, calculated based on their basic salary. Furthermore, upon retirement, 75% of this additional allowance used to be factored into their pension and gratuity calculations.
However, the Ministry of Finance revised these benefits on November 3, 2021, significantly limiting the allowances. Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, an advisor to the Ministry of Railways, stated that the ministry is in talks with representatives of the protesting staff to resolve the issue.
He urged the protesters to refrain from halting train services, as it creates unnecessary hardship for the public.
