Advance Eid train ticket sales to begin Aug 8

Bangladesh Railways will start selling advance train tickets from August 8, so that holidaymakers can collect their tickets ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.

The sale will continue till August 12 from Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka and Chittagong Railway Station, Railways Minister Mazibul Hoque told reporters at Railway Bhaban yesterday.

Eid-ul-Azha is expected to be celebrated on August 22.

Every year, tens of thousands of people leave the capital to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones at their family homes.

Trains are a popular choice for these homebound people, as traffic jam on the highways and overpricing of bus tickets make journey by road a hassle. Many spend sleepless nights at the railway station to get their hands on advance train tickets.

Train tickets for August 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 will be sold on August 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 respectively, the minister said.

Similarly, return tickets for August 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 will be open for sale on August 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 correspondingly at Rajshahi, Khulna, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat stations, he said.

The sales will start at 8:00am on the respective dates and continue until the tickets are sold out. A person will be able to buy maximum four tickets.

Mazibul Hoque said seven special trains will provide service four days before the Eid on several routes. Besides, the railway authorities will also operate “Solakia Special” trains on Bhairab-Kishoreganj-Bhairab and Mymensingh-Kishoreganj-Mymensingh routes on the Eid day, he added.

The minister said 150 more coaches will be added with the existing 1250 coaches, and 20 more locomotives will be added with existing 109 during the Eid rush.

Adequate security measures will be taken to avoid black marketing of tickets and any subversive activities.

Operation of Maitree Express, which runs on Dhaka-Kolkata route, will remain suspended on August 21 and 22 and Bandhan Express, which runs on Khulna-Kolkata will not run on August 23 due to Eid.

Every day, 2.6 lakh people use trains for transport, he said, adding that they have taken steps so that 3 lakh people can use rail during Eid rush.

“More and more people are now using rail and we are trying our best to provide them service with our limited resource,” the minister said.

Railways Secretary Mofazzel Hossain and its director general Amzad Hossain were also present at the briefing.