Bangladesh, June 25 -- The Diesel Electric Multiple Unit trains, introduced with much publicity during the tenure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, are now lying abandoned at Kamalapur Railway Station after years of technical failure, poor maintenance and lack of spare parts.

The fallen PM Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's first DEMU train service on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route at Kamalapur Railway Station on April 24, 2013. The trains were brought in to ease short-distance commuting and reduce pressure on roads around Dhaka.

However, the project soon began facing criticism as the Chinese-made trains failed to deliver the expected service. Passengers complained of poor ventilation, excessive heat inside the compartments, la...