KISHOREGANJ, July 6: The woes of railway passengers travelling along Bhairab-My-mensigh route are increasing day by day.

Absence of some basic amenities has made the train Journey troublesome in this route since long. Trains on this line are inadequate. As a result the Journey is extremely te

Late arrival of the trains is a regular feature causing immense trouble and inconvenience to the waiting passengers particularly children, women and old.

Only five trains run up and down on this line to cope with thousands of passengers everyday. Most often the trains run over-crowded. To make the things worse for the passengers

only five or six old and damaged compartments are attached to the trains. The passengers take their seats in the congested small space inside the compartments. Hundreds of them climb on the roof of the trains while many more travel standing on the footboard.

The old and women passengers are often found helpless to board the train at different sta-

lions. Many passengers are found to carry their goods particularly bale of cloth, gunybag. green vegetables, green coconut, even fish in the passenger compartments on the market day at different places near the railway stations. Hens, cocks and other birds are often carried unbooked creating passengers' sufferings.

Moreover, in most of the comparments, there is neither electrictiy nor water supply. The pick-pockets and the swindlers find the dark compartments suitable for carryijig on thier nefarious activities.

The compartments are not kept clean and sometimes water Is not available in the latrines. Waiting rooms in most of the iilatforms have no arrangement or the upper class passengers. Sometimes the latrines in the paltforms are not cleansed for months together.

In addition, the wooden sleepers on the railway lines have become worn-out and there is no stone at all at different points. Consequently derailment of railway engines and bogies on the line take place frequently.

Our Kushtia correspondent says: The railway tracks in the western zone area are in a deplorable condition as most of the wooden sleepers have been damaged. Out of 986 miles railway tracks, 685 miles are broad gauge. Shortage of railway .sleepers and pebbles on the lines has turned the route risky. Every day 124 trains including 24 inter-city, 24 mail and 76 local trains run along the western zone route.