The Mango Special Train has set off again with a burden of losses on its shoulders. Over the past three years it has spent several times what it earned, and the figures put its loss at close to Tk 1 crore.

Business leaders say the railway would have made a profit rather than a loss if the authorities had planned properly, and that there is a lack of sincerity. The railway authorities say they are trying to overcome their limitations.

As every year, the Mango Special Train reached Dhaka on Friday carrying mangoes from Rahanpur via Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi. The train is meant to carry mangoes and farm produce more cheaply than road transport, benefiting growers, traders and the railway itself.

But the results tell a different story. The train left Rahanpur at 4pm on Thursday, 8 June, but reached Dhaka at 3:45pm on Friday. Arriving 24 hours later, the mangoes were damaged.

According to West Zone railway data, in 2020 the Mango Special Train ran for 47 days and carried 11,99,059 kg of mangoes, earning Tk 13,37,536 against costs of Tk 56,40,000. In 2021 it ran for 49 days and carried 22,99,920 kg, earning Tk 26,30,928 against costs of Tk 58,80,000. Last year, in 2022, it carried 1,78,778 kg of mangoes, earning Tk 2,12,174 against costs of Tk 12,00,040.

Over the past three years the train earned Tk 41,80,638 and spent Tk 1,27,20,000, leaving the railway with a loss of Tk 85,39,362.

Abdur Rahim is one of the few traders who sent mangoes to Dhaka on the first day this year. He said: "I thought the mangoes would travel well by train, but it took 24 hours just to get there. The person I sent them to still hasn't received them. If it takes this long, the mangoes will spoil."

He added that courier services deliver mangoes to the door in only 12 to 18 hours, while the train takes more than 24 hours, which damages the fruit.

Business leaders say this potentially profitable service is turning into a loss because of the railway authorities' lack of sincerity, and traders are not satisfied with the quality of service either.

Md Anwarul Haque, president of the Rajshahi Agro Food Producer Society, said: "Those of us who send mangoes abroad prefer the train first, because it gets them there safely and cheaply. But there is no quality of service, no publicity and no promotion. We don't even know from when the train will run."

He added: "To send mangoes abroad, ours have to arrive early in the morning. If the train is late, the courier is better. Couriers are becoming more worthwhile by the day, while the train shows no sincerity. If it were sincere, it would be good for us, and the train would become profitable too."

The railway authorities say that although they have a number of limitations, work is under way on the matter.

Asim Kumar Talukder, general manager of West Zone railway, said: "This is not a railway business, it is a service. Income and expenditure are not the main thing here. We have some limitations too; we don't have that kind of backbone development. We are trying. It is improving day by day, and we are overcoming our problems."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.