Rail blockade by RU students causes Tk35 lakh revenue loss: Railway

A rail blockade by Rajshahi University (RU) students following an alleged altercation between a university student and a Bangladesh Railway employee disrupted train services on several routes, causing an estimated Tk35 lakh revenue loss, according to the Bangladesh Railway.

In a press release issued today (23 July), the Railway said the incident took place on the Dhaka-Rajshahi route-bound intercity Padma Express train on the night of 20 July.

Following the incident, some RU students blocked railway tracks and disrupted train movement to and from Rajshahi on various routes, the statement said.

The blockade continued from 7am to 3:55pm on 21 July, causing severe inconvenience to passengers, including critically ill patients, sick travellers, overseas-bound passengers and women and children, according to the railway authorities.

The railway said the blockade delayed 10 intercity trains and nine commuter trains by between one hour and eight hours and 10 minutes.

Besides, two intercity trains and four commuter trains had to be cancelled due to the disruption.

The disruption affected around 20,000 passengers at different stations and on trains, while causing an estimated revenue loss of Tk35 lakh, the statement added.

Bangladesh Railway expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers and apologised for the disruption.

Earlier, students of Rajshahi University staged a nine-hour-long blockade of the railway tracks over an alleged assault on a student by a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) on 21 July. 

They later lifted the blockade after the Railway temporarily suspended the accused staff.