Dhaka, April 23 -- Massive investment in flagship railway stations is now being questioned, with many lying idle and poorly maintained years after inauguration due to staff shortages.

Sources say that Bangladesh Railway (BR), the state-owned operator, has been unable to deploy adequate staff, leaving several newly built stations -- including iconic ones -- struggling to function properly.

As a result, many of the facilities have already begun losing their visual appeal, while incidents of theft of valuable items have also been reported.

Officials, however, claim that repeated requests for additional manpower were turned down soon after the completion of the projects.

"With limited resources, we have somehow been managing these station...