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The government has yet to approve the 1,680 posts required for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the 172-kilometre Dhaka-Jashore rail link via the Padma Bridge, leaving 10 newly built stations out of service and exposing railway assets to theft.
Officials of Bangladesh Railway (BR) said repeated proposals seeking approval for the posts over the past four years have remained pending, despite the growing operational needs of the railway. The delay, they said, has hampered the proper utilisation and protection of infrastructure built at a cost of Tk39,246 crore.
The officials alleged that the Ministry of Public Administration has returned the proposal several times with similar queries, although BR has already responded to them.
The manpower shortage has also affected the security of the railway infrastructure, with equipment and materials worth around Tk100 crore reportedly stolen from stations and railway tracks.
As a result, the newly constructed stations at Keraniganj, Nimotla, Sreenagar, Padma, Shibchar, Nagarkanda, Jamdia, Mohespur, Muksudpur and Padmabila have remained non-operational due to the absence of essential staff.
According to railway documents, BR has sought approval for 1,680 posts, including 78 for the Railway Nirapatta Bahini, 128 for the Signal and Telecommunication Department, 802 for the Engineering Department, 83 for the Mechanical Department, 489 for the Transport and Commercial Departments, and 94 for the Electrical Department.
The proposal also includes 55 station masters for 20 stations, 120 booking assistants, 86 pointsmen, 80 porters, 20 senior travelling ticket examiners and 40 junior travelling ticket examiners, among other positions.
The proposal was first submitted
on 2 February 2023 by the Padma Rail Link Project through the Ministry of Railways to the Ministry of Public Administration, seeking approval for 1,674 posts. The number was later revised to 1,680.
Requesting anonymity, a senior BR official said the proposal had been sent to the Ministry of Public Administration twice but was returned each time with fresh queries.
“On 31 July 2024, the ministry returned the proposal again with queries similar to those we had already answered,” the official said.
“They are now asking for information on all existing vacancies in Bangladesh Railway and our recruitment plan, which has no connection with the creation of new posts for the Padma rail corridor. Frankly, we are disappointed. Without new posts, we cannot operate services at the 10 newly constructed stations.”
The official said only six pairs of trains are currently operating on the route, although the line was designed to accommodate many more services.
Director of the Padma Rail Link Project Naznin Akter Keya said the absence of approved posts has made recruitment impossible.
“The required posts for the new railway line have not yet been approved. As a result, we have had to deploy personnel from other divisions, which is far from sufficient,” she said.
“The manpower shortage is affecting not only service delivery but also the security of railway assets. Thieves are stealing fishplates, nuts, bolts, cables and other valuable materials from station buildings, signalling equipment and railway tracks.”
She warned that the continued theft poses a serious threat to the operation and maintenance of the railway.
“We have installed a modern computer-based interlocking signalling system, but repeated theft has disrupted its operation,” she added.
Transport expert Professor Md Shamsul Hoque said both Bangladesh Railway and the government should be held accountable through a thorough investigation, while urging the authorities to approve the required manpower for operation and maintenance without further delay.
The civil engineering professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said Bangladesh Railway should have initiated the process of creating the required posts at the outset of the project, as approval for new positions usually takes a considerable amount of time.
“The government approved commercial operation of the rail line in haste but delayed approving the required manpower, resulting in the pilferage of valuable equipment and machinery,” he said.
He alleged that large infrastructure projects often serve financial interests more than the public interest, adding that timely planning and accountability were essential to ensure such investments delivered their intended benefits.
The Padma Rail Link Project was launched on 1 January 2016, while commercial train services on the Dhaka-Jashore route via the Padma Bridge began in December 2024.