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AC
chair coaches added to Dhaka-Ctg train |
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News |
April 16, 2000
Dhaka,
Apr 15 (UNB) – As the program to make rail journey more comfortable goes
on, two AC chair coaches were today added to a Dhaka-Chittagong train.
Another two will join the Dhaka-Sylhet route soon. Rail
India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) in cooperation with its
local associate Nascom Ltd has furnished the AC cars under a
build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) agreement with Bangladesh Railway. Communications
Minister Anwar Hossain Manju accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Dev
Mukharjee opened the comfortable AC chair cars joined with Subarno Express
at Kamlapur station in the afternoon. The
minister went round the two compartments, talked to the opening day
passengers and assured that the state-owned Bangladesh Railway would be
continuing its current efforts to modernize the train services. Officials
said the BR’s current bid to include private sector is aimed at ensuring
more comfortable journey as well as increasing revenue earning. Private
companies are already operating some trains. “Inclusion
of the AC chair coach is quite a nice effort. It will give us more
comfort,” said Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal, an organizer at Athletic
Federation who shuttles between Dhaka and Chittagong. Kamal,
also an official at Chittagong Customs, said in recent times railway has
developed its services a lot. “If it continues more people will prefer
journey by train,” he said. Each
of the two special coaches added to the Subarno Express, named as
“Tapanukul Snigdha”, has 58 chairs. Per seat fare of the AC coach is
Tk 300 while 150 in regular compartments. Two
similar coaches using state-of-art technology roof mounted packages air
conditioning units of Sidwal India will be added to Parabat Express on
Dhaka-Sylhet route shortly. The
fare on that route will also be relatively higher. But officials hope that
it will not discourage passengers, as they will get more comfort in
addition to quality service in the safest mode of travel. Compared
to bus fares, they said, the travel cost of the AC coaches would not be
much higher. Fare of the air-conditioned buses, running on
Dhaka-Chittagong highway, is Tk 250 while Tk 50 in railway AC coaches. ANZ
Grindlays Bank has financed the local Nascom for the pilot project of
RITES. Bangladesh Railway will partly pay them from the increased revenue
to be received from the latest service. Among
those who were present in the AC chair car opening ceremony of the Subarno
Express were Communications Secretary Syed Rezaul Hayat and Bangladesh
Railway DG M Abdur Rahim. |