Tue Jan 28 12:39:29 IST 2025: ## Bangladesh Railway Strike Strands Thousands
**DHAKA, Bangladesh (January 28, 2025)** – A nationwide railway strike in Bangladesh has left tens of thousands of passengers stranded and disrupted freight transport. The strike, launched by railway staff demanding higher pensions and better benefits, began Tuesday after negotiations with the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, failed.
The strike has severely impacted the state-run railway system, which carries approximately 65 million passengers annually in the densely populated nation. The main Kamlapur Railway Station in Dhaka was overwhelmed with hundreds of frustrated passengers unaware of the strike. Many waited for hours before giving up and returning home. Reports of angry passengers damaging property and attacking staff emerged from Rajshahi. In Chattogram, the country’s second-largest city and home to its major seaport, railway workers staged protests, raising concerns about the impact on the $38 billion garment export industry.
Authorities attempted to mitigate the disruption by arranging alternative bus transport, but many passengers, like Mohammed Nadim who traveled overnight for a vacation, refused the alternative, citing the long distance and lack of air conditioning on some buses. The strike’s indefinite continuation threatens further economic disruption in a country already grappling with slower economic growth according to global lending agencies. The interim government, in power since August following the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is facing increasing challenges in restoring order and stability.
First Piper 