Intercity trains stop at one or two stations between Keraniganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur and Faridpur. Therefore, these trains also have less passengers for short journeys.
Railway sources said they lack manpower to run trains. Railway officials were well aware of the manpower requirement and included the issue of recruitment of 1,680 new manpower at various levels in the project proposal. After the decision to open new railways, the Railway Ministry has been sending letters to the Public Administration Ministry for more than a year. However, no recruitment of manpower has been approved yet.
Public Administration Minister Farhad Hussain could not be reached on mobile phone for comment.
A railway official told Prothom Alo that it will take at least one and a half years to train railway manpower after recruitment, thus, even if recruitment happens now it will take more time to open this railway route.
Railway Director General Mohammad Qamarul Ahsan told Prothom Alo that the number of trains will increase significantly after the opening of the railway route connecting Jashore.
He said that they are trying to increase the number of passenger trains from Dhaka or Tongi to Bhanga in Faridpur. He said they are also in talks with the Ministry of Public Administration on manpower recruitment and if the process gets delayed they may need to outsource manpower.
