A shortage of locomotives is disrupting container train services between Chittagong Port and Dhaka, causing a sharp decline in railway freight transport and pushing businesses towards road and water routes.
Bangladesh Railway data shows that revenue from container transportation fell 23.56% between the 2023-24 and 2025-26 fiscal years, while the volume of goods transported and the number of wagons used also declined.
Railway officials said the locomotive shortage has made it difficult to operate freight trains regularly, with passenger services receiving priority when locomotives are allocated.
“Due to the shortage of locomotives, container trains cannot be operated on the Chittagong-Dhaka route as regularly as before,” Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Afzal Hossain told Dhaka Tribune.
“Passenger trains cannot be suspended because of the locomotive shortage. So locomotives have to be allocated for passenger services first, and container trains have to operate with whatever remains.”
According to him, three to four locomotives are required every day to operate container trains, but the railway cannot provide them according to demand.
Data from Bangladesh Railway’s eastern zone shows a steady decline in container freight.
In 2023-24, railway wagons transported 790,536 metric tons of goods, generating Tk114.69 crore in revenue from 80,719 wagons.
The volume fell to 707,023 tons in 2024-25, with revenue dropping to Tk76.28 crore from 63,100 wagons.
In 2025-26, 558,597 tons were transported using 54,569 wagons, generating Tk87.67 crore.
Overall, revenue from container transportation declined 23.56% between 2023-24 and 2025-26.
The decline has also affected operations at the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD), where container movement has fallen sharply.
According to Kamalapur ICD data, all major indicators declined in July compared with the same month of the previous fiscal year.
Bill of Entry submissions fell 33.09%, container movement 47.09%, imported goods 58.57%, assessable value 31.39% and revenue collection 31.84%.
The number of Bills of Entry fell from 822 in July of the previous fiscal year to 550 in July this year.
Container movement dropped from 1,579 to 836, while the volume of imported goods plunged from 26,410 tons to 1,942 tons.
The assessable value declined from Tk640 crore to Tk439 crore, while revenue collection fell from Tk293.83 crore to Tk200.26 crore.
Kazi Mohammad Ziauddin, commissioner (Customs) at Kamalapur Railway ICD, attributed the decline primarily to the locomotive shortage.
“The main reason for the decline in container transportation is the shortage of railway engines. As a result, freight trains do not arrive regularly,” he said.
“Businesses are being forced to transport goods through alternative road and water routes. The decline in container movement has also reduced revenue collection significantly.”
The Chittagong Port Authority has repeatedly raised concerns about the inadequate supply of container trains to Kamalapur ICD.
In a letter signed by the port authority’s deputy traffic manager (ICD, Kamalapur) on August 10 and sent to the Dhaka divisional railway manager, the authority requested urgent action to address the shortage.
According to the letter, a meeting chaired by the general manager of Bangladesh Railway’s eastern zone had previously assured that around 90 container trains would be supplied to Kamalapur ICD every month according to demand.
But the actual supply has remained far below that target.
Only 32 container trains were supplied in May, 44 in June and 36 in July, an average of about 1.2 trains a day.
The shortfall is creating delays in clearing imported goods and disrupting the movement of empty and export-loaded containers to Chittagong Port.
As a result, containers are remaining at the ICD for longer periods, increasing costs for importers, exporters and shipping agents.
The port authority also warned that some shipping lines were considering using alternative terminals or ports instead of Kamalapur ICD because of the disruption.
The letter further stated that container handling at Kamalapur ICD had declined by around 18% compared with 2015-16.
The authority requested at least three container trains every day, or 90 trains a month, to maintain normal operations and prevent further disruption to trade and government revenue collection.
Freight squeezed by locomotive shortage
The shortage is even more severe on the Chittagong-Dhaka route.
Mamunul Islam, general manager of Bangladesh Railway’s eastern zone, said the railway requires around 15 metre-gauge locomotives every day for freight transportation between Chittagong and Dhaka.
“We cannot provide even three or four locomotives according to the requirement,” he said.
“As a result, wagon transportation on the Dhaka-Chittagong route has declined considerably, which has also reduced revenue from container transportation.”
He said efforts were underway to arrange additional metre-gauge locomotives.
“Once the locomotives are available, revenue from both passenger and freight services will increase,” he added.
The locomotive shortage has created a conflict between passenger and freight operations.
According to Director General Afzal Hossain, passenger trains have to receive priority because suspending passenger services is not considered an option.
“First, locomotives have to be allocated for passenger trains. Then the remaining locomotives are used to operate container trains,” he said.
Mohammad Ashraf Karim Chowdhury, deputy traffic manager (ICD, Kamalapur) of Chittagong Port Authority, said the port authority had repeatedly requested the railway to address the shortage.
“Our requirement is 90 container trains a month. We have requested at least 60, but even 30 container trains do not arrive in a month,” he said.
He said resolving the locomotive shortage would significantly ease the operational problems at Kamalapur ICD.
The irregular service is affecting the movement of imported goods as well as empty and export-loaded containers, while businesses are increasingly using road and water routes.
For Bangladesh Railway, the immediate challenge is ensuring enough locomotives to operate freight services alongside passenger trains.
Until the shortage is addressed, the railway’s capacity to expand container freight between Chittagong Port and Dhaka will remain constrained.