NID may be required for advance Eid train tickets

The Bangladesh Railway is likely to make the National Identity Card or any other valid identity card mandatory for buying advance train tickets – the sales of which will begin on April 23 – ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

It is also considering a dedicated compartment for women in each inter-city train during the Eid rush.

Advance tickets would be sold out from counters at four spots -- Kamalapur Station, Old Station at Phulbaria, Cantonment Station and Airport Station -- in the capital.

Fifty percent of the tickets, however, would be sold online.

All these decisions were taken and proposals discussed at an inter-ministerial meeting at the Rail Bhaban yesterday with Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan in the chair.

The minister will brief the media over the issues on Wednesday.

With Eid likely to be celebrated on May 2 or 3, depending on moon sighting, advance tickets for April 27 will be sold on April 23. Tickets for April 28, 29, 30 and May 1 will be sold on April 24, 25, 26, and 27 respectively, meeting sources said.

At the meeting, Sujan directed the authorities concerned to make NID or other valid identity cards mandatory for purchasing advance ticket to check the black marketing of tickets.

However, some BR officials said making identity cards mandatory may cause delays and adversely affect ticket sales amid the huge rush of holiday-goers.

Rail Secretary Humayun Kabir proposed a compartment dedicated for women in every inter-city train to ensure hassle-free journeys for them.

But several officials argued that ahead of Eid, women are usually travel with other family members and may not prefer travelling separately.

Operations of public transport, including trains, remained suspended during the Eid festivals in 2020 and 2021 to contain the spread of Covid-19.