Hyundai’s 10 locomotives now being used

Bangladesh Railway has started using the 10 locomotives that a South Korean company supplied breaching contract. The move comes even when a BR body is evaluating if those engines should be used.

The first freight train, operated with one of the locomotives, reached Dhaka with goods on Sunday, four days after the authority gave directives to operate those locomotives "on trial basis until further notice," officials said.

Meanwhile, the project authority has asked Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC), the supplier of the locomotives, to change alternator, a major equipment of the locomotives, otherwise, the company will get less payment, they said.

These developments came weeks after the railway authority changed the project director (PD), who had halted HRC's payment for violating the contract, and appointed a new PD.

Besides, a technical committee, which has been assigned to determine whether the engines can be used for railway operations, was reconstituted after its chief opted to be not in the committee. The new committee is yet to submit its report.

"The locomotives are sitting idle for over six months due to a 'minor fault'. This is meaningless," PD Mohammad Hassan Mansur told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said directives have been given to the authority concerned on April 21 for using those locomotives for passenger and freight trains "on trial basis until further notice" and the operations started from Sunday.

The metre-gauge diesel electric locomotives -- bought under a project worth around Tk 300 crore -- arrived at a railways workshop in Chattogram's Pahartoli after they were unloaded at the Chattogram port in September last year.

In its report, a BR commissioning committee said the technical specifications of four key components -- engines, alternators, compressors, and traction motors -- of the supplied locomotives did not match the specifications mentioned in the agreement.

The railways minister in October last year ordered a probe into the matter. The locomotives had been sitting idle in a workshop since then.

The project authority also halted 65 percent of the payment for the locomotives.

A probe committee, led by Md Farukuzzaman, additional secretary (law and land) of the ministry, submitted its report on February 25. The Daily Star obtained a copy of the report.

The committee recommended actions against Hyundai for supplying locomotives in deviation from the contract and CCIC Singapore Pte Ltd, which the BR employed for the pre-shipment inspection, for failing to carry out its duties.

The probe committee report shows that Hyundai supplied alternator model TA9-12CA9SE, but the agreement sought alternator model TA12-CA9.

BR officials said the two models are different in terms of power output.

Besides, as per a government plan, all rail lines in the country would be converted into dual gauge within a few years. The government had instructed the BR to purchase locomotives which could be used on both metre-gauge and broad-gauge by changing the undercarriages.

But with the TA9-12CA9SE alternator, the locomotives will not run on broad-gauge, said some officials.

The then project director not only halted the Hyundai's payment but also raised allegations against "some senior BR officials" of joining hands in an unethical activity to release the fund.

In this given situation, the immediate past DG, Nur Ahmed Hossain, was changed on March 31 and posted under a junior in his BCS batch.

However, incumbent PD Hassan Mansur said the overall performance of the locomotives is "quite good".

"But as they [HRC] did not give alternators as per the contract, we have asked them to change the alternators," he said, adding that "If they do not change the alternators, we will cut money from their due payment…"

Asked about the equipment supplied without following the contract, he said there is no problem in engines and traction motors and the company made the changes in the equipment with the project authority's permission after the contract was signed.

In reply to another query, he said they would take further steps following the recommendations of a technical body.

On March 23, the BR formed the four-member committee, led by Prof Mahbubur Razzaque of Buet's Mechanical Engineering Department, to determine whether those engines can be used for railway operations.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 working days.

Mahbubur Razzaque, who was also a member of Farukuzzaman's led probe committee, declined to be part of the new committee.

He said their committee has given their recommendations for taking action against the companies for violating the contract.

"The authority could have formed a committee to determine the extent of punishment, instead another one was formed how to accept the locomotives. This is ridiculous. So, I decided not to be part of the new committee," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

Contacted yesterday, BR Director General Dhirendra Nath Mazumder said the committee was reconstituted with Chief Mechanical Engineer (East) of BR its chief and they were asked to submit the report "as soon as possible."

Asked whether action would be taken against Hyundai, he said, "We have asked them to change the alternators. We will take action if they failed."