25/07/2026
Title: Why are BDT 654-crore trains rotting? Local Innovation vs. Railway's Neglect! đđ§đŠ
Many of us might not know that Bangladesh Railway is currently going through locomotive (engine) crisis. Citing this crisis as an excuse, newly approved intercity trains like the Subornachar Express and Tanguar Express cannot be launched, and numerous local routes are being shut down.
Yet, a brilliant and highly cost-effective solution is sitting right in front of our eyesâour abandoned DEMU trains!
The Background and Real Picture:
1ī¸âŖ 20 sets of Chinese-made DEMU trains were imported at a massive public expense of BDT 654 crore. However, due to a sheer lack of routine maintenance, they were left to decay in various railway yards.
2ī¸âŖ In October 2022, a former engineer from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, along with local railway mechanics, successfully revived a defunct DEMU train using indigenous technology at a nominal cost. It even ran commercially on the Rangpur-Parbatipur route.
3ī¸âŖ Since DEMU trains have their own built-in motorized traction systems, they do not require any external locomotive to run.
So, where is the problem?
If we had replicated this local formula to fix the remaining DEMU trains, the entire crisis on short and local routes could have been resolved. Consequently, the mainline locomotives freed from local routes could have easily been deployed to run the new intercity trains!
Unfortunately, a section of bureaucrats and vested interest groups baselessly criticized this budget-friendly local innovation and halted the project. Why? Because if trains are fixed locally for just a few lakh takas, there is no scope for massive "commissions" from thousand-crore foreign procurement mega-projects! After a minor subsequent glitch in the first revived DEMU, instead of repairing it, they threw it back into the junkyard.
This colossal waste of national assets and utter degradation of local talent is completely unacceptable.
We demand:
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An immediate end to bureaucratic red tape and baseless criticisms.
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Swift repair of all abandoned DEMU trains using the proven formula of our local engineers.
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Resolution of the railway crisis immediately without waiting for new expensive engines.
As a conscious citizen, I demand strict accountability and transparency from Bangladesh Railway.
Photo:- Collected.
