No Passenger Shed on Platform 2 at Fulbari Station, Travellers Suffer in Rain and Sun

There is no passenger shed on platform 2 of Fulbari railway station in Dinajpur. Passengers have to wait for their trains standing on this platform, which is about 350 metres long, and they suffer badly in rain, fog and harsh sun alike.

When trains cross at the station, the train travelling in the opposite direction stops at platform 2. Passengers therefore have to go there and wait 20 to 30 minutes in advance. As soon as the arrival of a train is announced, they have to leave whatever shelter they found and hurry back to the platform.

As soon as rain starts, passengers begin running for cover. Some take shelter beside the ticket counter, others rush under nearby shops. With no safe and comfortable shelter in place, they have to wait for their train on the open platform whatever the weather.

Railway sources and local residents say 22 passenger trains, counting both up and down services, pass through Fulbari station every day. On average, two and a half to three thousand passengers use the station daily. Because of train crossings, trains stop at platform 2 at least 30 times a week on average, and the pressure of passengers on that platform rises at those times.

Children, elderly people, the sick and passengers with disabilities are hit hardest by the lack of a shed. Clothes, bags, papers and essential belongings get soaked in the rain. Standing for a long time in strong sun, on the other hand, adds to their physical suffering.

Patients travelling to distant hospitals suffer even more. Prescriptions, medical reports, medicines, clothes and food they carry get wet in the rain. Relatives travelling with children have to look after the patients and children on one side and protect bags and belongings on the other.

Local resident Rakib Hasan Joni said passengers have to stand on platform 2 twenty to thirty minutes before catching a train. When rain starts there is nowhere to stand there, and there is no shade in the sun either. The suffering is endless when small children, elderly people or patients are with them, he said.

Local social worker Syed Saiful Islam Jewel said it is unacceptable that a platform where hundreds of people stand waiting for trains every day has no shed. Passengers have to run around whenever it rains, and in sunny weather many run here and there looking for shade, he said, demanding that a shed be built there quickly.

Local residents complain that platform 1 has a shed but there is no permanent arrangement for passengers on platform 2, even though trains regularly stop at that platform because of crossings. Considering the passengers' convenience, they have demanded that a shed be built quickly over at least part of the platform.

Fulbari railway station master Ananda Chakraborty said passengers suffer because there is no shed on platform 2. Passengers complain about these problems often, he said. The matter has been reported to the higher authorities, and he expressed hope that they will take the necessary steps.