Unmoved by the complaints of commuters, Bangladesh Railway is planning to purchase more of the much denounced Demu trains for a new service to run between Dhaka city and Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park.
In light of public displeasure with Demus, the Railway chief and the head of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park each claim that the other suggested procuring the widely disliked trains.
At a recent high-level Bangladesh Railway (BR) meeting, a preliminary decision was made to procure three sets of Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (Demu) trains for the new route. Railway sources said when the decision is finalised, a proposal will be sent to the planning commission.
But Kaliakoir Park Project Director ANM Safiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “Initially, we had decided to make a railway line, but we backed away from the idea when technical problems were raised with the track proposal.
“Now BR wants to implement the project.
“We never mentioned purchasing Demus for this route,” Safiqul said.
He said: “We had undertaken to set up a railway service from the capital to Kaliakoir Park using our own finances, but because BR delayed the feasibility study we asked them to implement and finance the project themselves.”
Bangladesh first encountered the made-in-China Demus in 2013, but they proved to be extremely unpopular among commuters.
The Demu trains – with entrances too high for local platforms, sealed window panes and tiny, ineffectual vents – have been described as very difficult to board and unbearably uncomfortable to ride in.
In light of this, BR decided last year to suspend purchases of the Demu from China.
BR authorities claimed that the decision to set up the Dhaka–Kaliakoir train service and to use Demus on the line, was a decision taken by Kaliakoir Park authorities. The state railway company said its job was to provide technical support.
Bangladesh Railway Director General Amzad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “The project to use Demus from Dhaka to the Kaliakoir Park will be implemented by BR at an estimated cost of Tk211cr. We also have a separate project to build 5kms of dual gauge single rail track from Kaliakoir Station to Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park at an estimated cost of Tk82cr.”
Asked about complaints with the Demu, the BR director general told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have made an initial decision to buy Demus but we can always change our decision if necessary.”
BR estimates its total project cost for the Dhaka to Kaliakoir rail link, using Demus, to be around Tk210.83cr. It estimates the Demu unit price to be Tk14cr. Each Demu set has six units.
But sources in BR have told the Dhaka Tribune that Demus cost closer to Tk5 or Tk6cr on the international market.
In 2013, BR purchased 20 sets of Demu trains from China for Tk684cr. The trains have since been roundly criticised by commuters.
The service life of a Demu engine is estimated to be around 10 years while the longevity of other locomotives is 20 or more years.
Buet Professor Shamsul Haque said: “Demus get damaged more quickly than general locomotives. BR has no experts to maintain the Demu. To maintain the Demus, engineers were brought in from China causing additional costs for the Railway.”