Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Railway (BR) has taken various initiatives to make the homebound people journey easier, safe and comfortable as they started to return home to celebrate the largest religious festival with their loved ones.
BR always remain the top choice for home-bound passengers during Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of Muslim community, with people opting for railways due to various factors, including passenger services, online ticketing, security and time-saving benefits.
In preparation for the Eid journey, passengers have become more active online to secure their tickets in advance.
On Monday, the railway app and website experienced nearly 25 million visits, resulting in the sale of 35,913 tickets.
As of now, no tickets are left unsold.
Bangladesh Railway has implemented several measures to ensure the safety, comfort and festive atmosphere of this year’s Eid journey.
Special security arrangements have been put in place at the main railway stations in Dhaka and the Joydebpur station in Gazipur.
Additionally, the Bangladesh Railway Police and Railway Security Force will bolster security at all intercity stations across the country.
According to railway sources, additional forces, including police, RAB, APBn, Ansar and fire service personnel, will be on duty at railway stations during this period.
CCTV cameras will be monitored 24/7 and medical teams will be stationed at Kamalapur and Dhaka Airport railway stations to assist passengers.
Railway security forces have also warned against black market ticket sales, travelling on train roofs, and travelling without tickets.
The Ministry of Railways has issued directives to prevent private train operators from selling extra tickets.
Moreover, Bangladesh Railway has restricted the sale of local train tickets and passengers can no longer board another train after entering the platform without a ticket.
At Kamalapur railway station, it was observed that many home-bound people have already arrived ahead of the Eid journey. Many workers have sent their families home first.
Passengers are entering the platform in an orderly fashion, with no chaos at the station. However, passengers without tickets are being fined.
In a bid to enhance the travel experience during this busy period, the Bangladesh Railway has made changes in the ticketing process.
Separate ticketing times have been set for the two railway zones.
Tickets for the western railway zone are sold starting at 8am, and for the eastern railway zone, ticket sales start at 2pm.
Both Bangladesh Railway and online ticket vendor Shojhoz.com reported heavy traffic on the railway website and app during these times, though no server issues were reported despite the high demand.
Sanjeev Debnath, CEO of Shojhoz.com, commented that the online ticketing service has been smooth this time, with no server downtime.
The system allows customers to see how many people are trying to buy tickets simultaneously and suggests alternative stations if tickets are sold out at a specific station.
Advance ticket sales for thisEid journey began on March 14.
Tickets for the eastern railway zone are sold at 2pm and for the western zone, at 8am, ten days in advance.
In addition to the 120 intercity trains running across the country, five pairs of special trains will be operational, along with local, commuter and mail trains running to their respective destinations.
According to Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, the Dhaka Divisional commandant of the Railway Security Force, 200 additional Ansar members will join the existing 490 Railway Security Force personnel to increase security during this Eid journey.
He emphasized their role in preventing travel without tickets.
The Railway Police will also implement a three-level security system at Kamalapur station.
Anwar Hossain, police superintendent of the Railway Dhaka Police, confirmed that security will be provided by uniformed and plainclothes police officers, along with continuous CCTV monitoring.
This will also be applied to Dhaka Airport and Joydebpur railway stations.
Kamalapur Railway Station Master ShahadatHossain said that the number of passengers at the station has already increased as Eid approaches.
Passengers are entering and leaving the platform with tickets and trains will operate according to the schedule.
Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Afzal Hossain emphasized that the railway is committed to making this year’s Eid journey safe and comfortable.
He stressed that no one will be allowed to travel on train roofs or without tickets. Security personnel will strictly enforce these rules, particularly at Kamalapur, the airport and Joydebpur stations.
