Jamalganj Railway Station to reopen after 16 years
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Passenger services have been suspended at Jamalganj Railway Station in Akkelpur upazila of Joypurhat for 16 years. Although trains continue to run along the route, they do not regularly stop at the platform, forcing passengers to board and disembark at risk. Women, children and elderly people face the greatest difficulties. To ease their long-standing hardship, railway authorities have finally taken an initiative to reopen the station. However, it remains uncertain when normal operations will resume. Local passengers are therefore waiting for relief after years of risky journeys.
According to information from the railway’s Pakshi Division, a letter issued on October 26 requested the relevant engineering departments to take the necessary steps to resume operations at the station. The letter stated that the process of assigning a stationmaster and pointsman was underway. However, as the station has remained closed for a long time, its infrastructure, signaling system and operational equipment must be restored to working order.
According to the letter signed by Mohammad Saiful Islam, additional divisional transport officer of the Pakshi Division, operational activities at Jamalganj Railway Station have been suspended since November 25, 2010, due to a shortage of a stationmaster and pointsman. The same letter also stated that operations had been suspended at 56 stations under the Pakshi Division.
Although the station is no longer operational, trains continue to run along the railway line. As a result, passengers continue to face difficulties because there are no suitable facilities for boarding and disembarking.
Local residents alleged that trains have not stopped at Platform No. 1 for the past three to four years. Instead, they stop on Track No. 2, which has no platform. Passengers are forced to navigate uneven ground and different heights to board and leave the trains, putting themselves at risk. Women, children and elderly passengers face particular difficulties. Sometimes, passengers who cannot get off at their intended station have to travel to the next station to disembark. This costs them additional time and money.
According to local residents, Jamalganj Station is important not only for local transportation but also for tourists because of its proximity to the historic Paharpur Buddhist Monastery.
The staff shortage has not only forced the station to suspend operations but has also increased the workload of railway employees who remain on duty. A stationmaster, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had been serving in the same position for nearly 10 years. Alongside his regular duties, he also has to handle field-level work. He said it was essential to recruit the necessary staff to reopen closed stations and reduce the excessive workload on existing employees.
The railway letter emphasizes the need to restore the station’s loop line, activate signaling equipment and repair electrical fittings. The divisional engineer-2, divisional signal and telecommunications engineer, and divisional electrical engineer of the Pakshi Division have been asked to take the necessary measures.
Mohammad Hasibul Hasan, stationmaster of Jamalganj Railway Station, said he had seen the letter from senior authorities regarding the reopening of the station. It contains instructions to take the necessary measures. He hopes that implementing the initiative will ease the long-standing difficulties faced by passengers.
