AN imbalance in railway capacity in Bangladesh risks a problem for cargo transportation throughout the country in the coming months as a current pileup could roll into Ramadan in March, reports New York's Sourcing Journal.
Ramadan typically results in a countrywide reduction in working hours that transpires until after Eid, which concludes March 30.
Rail cargo movements could be halted for up to a week once Eid happens, as rail operators prioritise passenger services during the daylong religious holiday.
This could result in as many as 3,000 TEU of imports idling at Chattogram Port's inland container depot by the end of April.
Fayyaz Khundker, chairman of Bangladesh's Container Shipping Association (BCSA), said that there were already 1,287 TEU of Dhaka-bound cargo at the container depot, which has a listed maximum capacity of 876 TEU.
"Unless any proactive measures are taken immediately, a catastrophic situation may occur in the coming months," said Mr Khundker. "Only six to seven months ago, there was a backlog of 60 days for boxes destined for Dhaka from Chittagong by train."
Bangladesh Railway is currently operating just one service a day due to ongoing shortages of boxcars, engines and manpower.
According to a December estimate by India's Financial Express, the railway needs 3,000 cars and 500 engines to run uninterrupted train service on all its routes. But currently, it has only 1,788 cars and 295 operational engines.
https://www.shippingazette.com/news?news_id=9250100000730
|
Back:
Next:
