Railway to procure 80 locomotives amid engine shortage

Bangladesh Railway is planning to add 80 new metre-gauge locomotives to its fleet to address an engine shortage that has disrupted freight services, including container trains from Chattogram Port to Dhaka and trains carrying fuel and food grains.

The railway ministry informed the parliamentary standing committee on railways about the initiative at its second meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Monday.

The development project proposal for procuring 30 metre-gauge locomotives has recently been approved, while a tender has been floated to procure another 30 locomotives approved earlier.

The procurement of the 60 locomotives is expected to be completed by 2029, allowing Bangladesh Railway to increase freight services and boost revenue. Another 20 metre-gauge locomotives are being processed under the World Bank-funded Green Railway project.

The meeting was chaired by committee chairman and Pabna-3 MP Mohammad Ali Asgar. State Minister for Railways Habibur Rashid and committee members Md Abdul Mohit Talukder, Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto and Muhammad Azizur Rahman attended.

The committee reviewed progress in implementing previous decisions and discussed freight transport from Mongla Port. According to a progress report presented at the meeting, demand for rail freight services from the port remains limited.

Molasses is currently transported on a limited scale from Mongla to Soydabad in Tangail and Joypurhat. Apart from this, Bangladesh Railway has no significant demand for transporting other goods from the port, the report said.

Train No. 95/96 currently operates regularly on the Mongla-Benapole route. However, the introduction of a direct train service between Mongla and Dhaka depends on the arrival of new broad-gauge coaches.

Bangladesh Railway is expected to receive 200 broad-gauge coaches in phases, of which 18 have already arrived in the country. A decision on launching a new Mongla-Dhaka train service will be made after the coaches are received, the report said.

The committee also discussed measures to ensure transparency in online railway ticketing. Private technology company Shohoz.com currently manages Bangladesh Railway’s online ticket sales and related services. Its existing contract with the railway is due to expire in February next year.

The ministry informed the committee that preparations had been completed to invite fresh tenders and appoint a new vendor before the contract expires to ensure uninterrupted online ticketing services.

The committee also reviewed progress in implementing the railway ministry’s budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year and examined its operating ratio.

Reports on railway land, including land in use and under lease, revenue from leasing, leaseholders, illegally occupied properties and related court cases, were also presented. The possibility of installing solar panels on railway land and infrastructure was discussed.

Following the discussions, the committee directed Bangladesh Railway to take effective measures to gradually move from losses towards profitability.

It also stressed the need to recruit sufficient staff to ensure round-the-clock safety at risky level crossings and appoint experienced lawyers to the railway’s legal department to resolve legal complications and expedite long-pending court cases.

The committee further advised the railway authorities to conduct a feasibility study for a new railway line from Bhanga to Barishal and take prompt steps to introduce a daily morning commuter train service on the Benapole-Khulna route.

The railway secretary, additional secretaries, Bangladesh Railway director general and other senior officials from the ministry and the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat attended the meeting.