Rajshahi, Apr 23 (V7N)- Residents of the Charghat Upazila in Rajshahi are facing severe difficulties due to the lack of train stops and passenger facilities at the Nandan Gachi station. The railway station has been effectively closed for an extended period. Although trains do pass through and make brief stops, all essential services, including ticket sales, remain suspended due to a shortage of staff.

The closure has led to increasing hardship for passengers. Simultaneously, the station's assets are reportedly vulnerable to theft and deterioration due to the absence of personnel. Established in 1929 in the Barkatpur area of Nimpara Union, the Nandan Gachi station ceased full operations at the end of 2015. According to railway regulations, the station was meant to have around 12 staff members, including a ticket master, station master, porter, coin man, and gatekeeper. Currently, however, no officers or employees are stationed there.

On the ground, the station is described as dilapidated, with platforms and station buildings present but deserted. The surrounding area is overgrown with weeds and littered with garbage from nearby residential areas. A local tea shop owner stated that the station has been closed for over 15 years, noting the departure of the sole remaining officer to Sardah Railway Station. The empty station buildings are reportedly creating a "spooky atmosphere" at night, with locals claiming that criminals take shelter there and that it has become a site for drug sales. Furthermore, vital station equipment is allegedly being damaged due to neglect.

When contacted, Sardah Station Master Farhad Hossain confirmed that two trains on the route make stops at Nandan Gachi. However, due to the absence of a ticket master, passengers cannot purchase tickets at the station. To travel by train from Nandan Gachi, passengers must travel 10 kilometers to Sardah station or 12 kilometers to Arani station to buy tickets, often relying on their own transport or vehicle drivers.

Locals are voicing strong complaints about the immense suffering caused by the inability to purchase tickets at their local station. They are demanding the immediate reopening of the station and the restoration of services to alleviate passenger hardship. Kamruzzaman, President of Citizens for Good Governance-Sujan Charghat Upazila, likened the abandoned station to fallow agricultural land, emphasizing the significant benefit reopening the station would bring to the region's travelers.

Mizanur Rahman, the chairman of the local union, stated that a fully operational Nandan Gachi station would provide the people of the area with convenient access to intercity trains and facilitate travel to various district towns, including Dhaka.

An unnamed official from Pakshi Railway, when contacted via mobile phone, confirmed that the closure of operations at Nandan Gachi and many other stations is due to a shortage of manpower, adding that the timeline for resolving this issue remains uncertain.

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