Manpower, material shortages cripple Saidpur Railway Workshop

A severe shortage of manpower and essential raw materials has sharply reduced repair and production activities at the country’s largest railway workshop at Saidpur in Nilphamari districr, raising concerns over the safety and reliability of train services in Bangladesh’s western region.

The workshop is struggling to carry out scheduled maintenance, according to railway officials and workers.

A recent incident in Akkelpur of Joypurhat showed the concern when a coach of the intercity Barendra Express, bound for Nilphamari’s Chilahati from Rajshahi, derailed after one of its springs broke.

Railway officials and workers said such mechanical problems have become frequent on trains operating in the western region, with the shortage of manpower at the Saidpur Railway Workshop making timely repairs increasingly difficult.

As a result, several trains are being operated with coaches that require repair, they said.

An inspection of the condition of coaches on the Chilahati-Saidpur and Khulna-Rajshahi routes found problems with several intercity trains, including the Simanta, Rupsha, Barendra and Titumir Express.

Many coaches have broken seats and damaged windows, while fans and lighting systems are often out of order.

Bathroom fittings are in poor condition, making some toilets difficult to use, while water-supply lines are also reportedly dysfunctional.

Workshop officials said many of these coaches require repairs but the work cannot be carried out on time because of manpower and material shortages.

Machinery lying idle

According to workshop sources, around 600 of the 749 pieces of machinery at the Saidpur Railway Workshop, worth nearly Tk 1,500 crore, are lying idle and deteriorating due to a shortage of skilled technicians and funds.

The low utilisation of the machinery has contributed to a decline in production and repair output, worsening the shortage of serviceable coaches for trains in the western region.

Under railway maintenance schedules, intercity coaches are supposed to undergo repair every year, mail and express coaches every one and a half years, and freight wagons every three years.

However, many coaches are not being repaired within the prescribed periods because of the various constraints at the workshop, railway sources said.

A train inspector, speaking on condition of anonymity, said load-bearing springs of coaches are supposed to be replaced every five years.

Instead, in some cases, plates or packing materials are placed underneath worn-out springs to increase their height, he said.

The packing can come loose within a short period, affecting the coach’s ability to carry weight and causing excessive shaking while the train is running, he added.

Such makeshift repairs increase the risk of major accidents, the inspector added.

Old coaches, mounting pressure

According to railway sources, 66 intercity and 60 mail trains operate under the western railway zone, with 818 coaches attached to the services.

The western zone also operates 956 broad-gauge and 200 metre-gauge freight wagons on different routes.

The passenger fleet includes 50 broad-gauge coaches imported from Indonesia in 2006, along with 100 red-and-green broad-gauge and 50 metre-gauge coaches. There are also 120 red-and-green coaches from India.

In addition, the fleet includes 448 broad-gauge coaches imported from Germany, Denmark and Pakistan around 45 years ago, according to railway sources.

Mominul Islam, in-charge of the carriage shop at Saidpur Railway Workshop, said adequate manpower could significantly increase the workshop’s repair capacity and reduce the need to import coaches.

“Had we had the required manpower, there would have been no need to import coaches. This could save the railway hundreds of crores of taka every year,” he said.

The wagon shop is facing a similar problem, he said.

Although it receives a demand to repair 250-300 wagons annually, only around 200 can be turned out because of manpower shortages.

Raw material shortage

Divisional Superintendent of Saidpur Railway Workshop Shah Sufi Nur Mohammad said a significant number of posts at the country’s largest railway workshop are vacant.

“Workers are putting in extra hours beyond their scheduled working time to keep production going,” he said.

However, the shortage of essential raw materials is a major obstacle, he said, adding that production is being disrupted because necessary materials are not supplied on time and in adequate quantities.

“The matter has been brought to the attention of the higher authorities,” he said.

Saidpur Railway Station Master Obaidul Islam said several coaches of trains operating on the routes have to be taken out of service for months because of mechanical problems.

“As a result, we cannot issue tickets even for short-distance stations. Passengers are often forced to travel standing because tickets are unavailable,” he said.

Many passengers consequently travel without tickets, depriving the railway of revenue, he added.

He also said mechanical problems frequently cause schedule disruptions on the routes.

Abdullah Al Mamun, divisional traffic superintendent of the Lalmonirhat Railway Division, said manpower shortages exist across the railway network but the shortage at the Saidpur Railway Workshop has become a major obstacle to smooth train operations.

Source: UNB NEWS