Railway launching app next month to streamline services
Bangladesh Railway (BR) is going to launch a mobile app next month enabling passengers to avail services fast and with convenience, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said yesterday.
In the preliminary stage, all inter-city trains will come under the service, the minister told reporters after holding a meeting with officials concerned at Rail Bhaban in the capital. State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak was also present.
Officials said once the app is operational, a passenger will be able to book and buy train tickets and pay using their phones, as well as locate nearby railway station, trains and local transport service.
To avail the services, a passenger has to download the app and register -- providing name, address, mobile number and NID card number or birth registration certificate, they said.
Currently one can avail several services -- including booking of tickets -- online and via SMS. Once the app is launched, people can avail all services from one platform, they said.
Passengers, however, will still be able to buy tickets from stations, officials assured.
Railways Ministry and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division joined hands to launch “One-Stop Digital Railway Passenger Service System” last month, and a nine member committee is working to implement the plan.
Meanwhile, Sujan said passengers will need national identity (NID) card or birth registration certificate when purchasing tickets for all intercity services and they were going to introduce the system before the upcoming Eid.
Since March 20, passengers of seven intercity trains need NID or birth registration certificate to purchase train tickets.
BR took the decision following a successful pilot project implemented for Sonar Bangla Express -- a direct intercity train service on Dhaka-Chattogram route -- from January 1, to curb ticket scalping.
“We are getting good response. We are going to make NID mandatory to buy tickets for intercity trains before Eid,” he said.
Total number of train in Bangladesh is 352, of which 90 are intercity, according to BR.