# Railways bought 20 sets of DEMU trains from China
# The cost of buying DEMU trains was Tk 654 crore
# The service was closed after just six years of opening
The Akhaura-Sylhet rail route has been suspended for the last five years. However, the diesel-electronic multiple unit or DEMU train was introduced on the Sylhet-Akhaura railway route through grand arrangements. After just six years, the train service was stopped due to engine failure.
Since then, the train has been completely closed for five years. Even the reopening has been in doubt. This information is known from Bangladesh Railway sources.
According to the sources, the new DEMU train was inaugurated on the Sylhet-Akhaura railway in September 2013. The DEMU train was purchased keeping in mind the demand of passengers for short-distance communication. Being a new service, the train became very popular among the passengers. The train had 150 seats with engines installed on both sides. Apart from this, there was a standing arrangement for 150 passengers.
The three-coach train was running as a local train on the Sylhet-Akhaura route. However, just six years later, the local DEMU train on the Sylhet-Akhaura route was completely closed in 2019. In the meantime, five years have passed, but the DEMU train is far from running; Railway officials could not say whether it will be operational at all.
According to sources, the railway bought 20 sets of DEMU trains from China to increase the quality of passenger services. In 2013, Tk 654 crore was spent to buy the DEMU train. As a result, the price of a train is 32 crore 7 lakh taka. Then the railway said that these trains are completely new technology. The life of each DEMU train was 30 years. In addition, the train was guaranteed to be active for at least 25-30 years. But 25 years away, problems arise when he is only five years old. Once the engine failed completely, the passenger transport on the DEMU train was stopped. But the price of an air-conditioned coach of the railway is Tk 5.45 crore. As a result, six AC bogies could be purchased with the money of a DEMU train. Each air-conditioned bogie earns an average of Tk 2.5 crore annually.
Director General of Bangladesh Railway Sardar Shahadat Ali said the DEMU train was purchased to provide better services to the passengers at that time. But those who were involved in buying it may not have had any idea about its future. Almost all the DEMU trains have been damaged. They are no longer useful. The damaged engine was repaired but did not last long. As a result, the railway is uneasy about the DEMU train.
ZH
