Instead of using the Automatic Train Washing Plant set up at a cost of Taka 180 million ( 18 crore) and inaugurated in early November this year, the plant is kept abandoned and the trains at the rail station are being cleaned through the contractors.
On Wednesday morning, the automatic washing plant was seen locked from outside. Concerned sources, however, informed only one train is now washed by using the washing plant daily and the rest eight trains are washed manually by employing labourers by the contractors.
The sources further said all trains are not being able to wash through the automatic plants because of shunting problems of the trains. The train schedules cannot be maintained by washing the trains using the plant, the sources added further.
West Zone railway sources informed, to clean clearly both sides of the trains, roofs and the under-gears, two automatic washing plants have been set up under the Bangladesh Railway. One of those is in Rajshahi and the other is at Kamlapur railway station.
These plants can save at least 100,000 litres of water daily and 70 percent of the used water is recycled and reused. These US made plants can be used both through automatic and through the manual process. It takes only 10-minute to wash a 14-compartment train. This plant is environmentally friendly and cost effective.
It is learnt, after inauguration of the plant at Rajshahi railway station, only one train is being washed daily and the plant is kept locked during the rest of the day. As a result, other trains are being washed through manual processes by employing contractors. In the manual process, it takes at least one hour to wash a train.
Railway sources informed the manual washing of the trains requires a large sum of money but if washed through automatic plants, there will be no expenditure of money and it would take a little time to wash those. There is allegation that contractors in liaison with the railway officials are discouraging the use the automatic plant for washing the trains.
Ariful Islam, Senior Sub-Assistant Engineer of west zone railway informed position of the automatic plant is creating problem for shunting of
the trains.
The shunting of trains in proper time is necessary for maintaining train schedules that is why the trains are being washed through using manual process by employing contractors.
However, he said, the railway authorities are trying to find out a way to use the automatic train washing plant to wash trains soon.