Bangladesh Railway has approved handing over six more trains to private operators in its Eastern Zone, aiming to increase revenue and improve services by expanding private involvement in passenger train operations.
The trains are Jharia Local, Joydebpur Commuter, Narsingdi Commuter, Noakhali Express, Samatat Express, and Nazirhat Local. They operate on routes covering Dhaka, Chattogram, Mymensingh, and Noakhali.
With the latest move, 14 trains will be privately managed under BR’s Eastern Zone.
Officials said BR has increasingly relied on outsourcing in recent years amid persistent manpower shortages and rising operational losses. They said privately operated trains have generated relatively stable revenue.
Under the arrangement, private firms oversee onboard services, ticket verification, cleaning, and passenger management, while core train operations remain under BR’s control, said Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman, chief commercial manager of BR’s Eastern Zone.
He said monthly earnings from privately run trains increased by 15-25 percent compared with previous railway-run operations.
For example, before being handed over to private management, the Mohua Commuter generated Tk 68.55 lakh in revenue in the 2014-15 fiscal year. In FY 2024-25, the same train earned Tk 2.78 crore, according to BR’s Eastern Zone commercial department.
The same has been the case for all other seven trains previously handed over to private operators, officials said.
An official of the department, wishing anonymity, said passengers often travel without tickets as proper checking is not always possible because of BR’s manpower shortage.
“Private operators, however, strictly ensure fare collection as their revenue depends on it,” he said.
BR data from 2025 show that only 11,522 posts are filled against 22,358 approved posts in the Eastern Zone. The shortage is particularly acute in operational support services, maintenance, and field-level management.
However, passenger rights activists criticised the move.
BR is following a dual policy by investing public funds to improve services while simultaneously handing over trains for private operations, said Md Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.
He questioned how private operators were able to generate profits from the same services if BR itself could not.
If private operators can run train operations profitably with existing passengers and fares, why can’t BR do the same? This indicates corruption and a lack of transparency within the railway, he said.
Instead of expanding private operations, the government should take action against syndicates and irregularities within the railway system, Mozammel added.
Contacted, Md Subakhtgeen, general manager of BR’s Eastern Zone, said all outsourced services would continue under railway supervision and ticket prices would remain fixed by the government.
Therefore, even under private operation, passengers have no reason to be concerned about fares or service conditions, he added.
