Trains cancelled across B’desh as rail union goes on strike

Dhaka, Jan 28: Trains were cancelled across Bangladesh on Tuesday as railway staff went on strike for higher pensions and other benefits, affecting tens of thousands of passengers and freight transport.
Saidur Rahman, acting president of the Bangladesh Railway Running Staff and Workers Union, said the strike was called after a meeting with the interim government to reach a deal late Monday.
Rahman said the strike would continue indefinitely if the government does not accept their demands.
The state-run railway system carries some 65 million passengers per year in a densely populated nation of 170 million people. It employs about 25,000 people and operates a network of over 36,000 kilometres.
The main Kamlapur Railway Station in the capital, Dhaka, was mobbed by hundreds of disappointed passengers who were not aware of the strike. Many waited for hours before going home.
As the country’s railway adviser visited, passengers shouted complaints.
Shahadat Hossain, a station manager in Dhaka, said at least 10 trains were scheduled to leave the station on Tuesday morning. Authorities arranged buses as an alternative. (AP)