Advance train tickets for Eid journeys are being sold from yesterday, Saturday.
Tickets for the 27th of April were sold on the first day. Homebound ticket aspirant people stood in long queues at five stations in Dhaka, including Kamalapur, for tickets from Friday night.
After two years in a row, such a huge crowd of ticket seekers was seen at Kamalapur railway station. There was no place for people around the counter. Many of them lined up for tickets after Iftar the day before.
Passengers complained of the slowness in getting tickets from the counter. Ticket-seekers complained that even after standing in line for hours, the tickets did not match. They expressed frustration over the delay in getting tickets at the counter.
Kamalapur Railway Station Manager Masud Sarwar said, “Tickets were issued from Dhaka’s Kamalapur, Airport, Tejgaon, Cantonment and Fulbaria stations. A total of 27,000 tickets are being sold daily. Of them 13500 tickets are being sold from 50 counters of 5 stations and 13500 online. Tickets for the first of May will be issued on Wednesday. Simultaneously tickets for April 28, 29, 30 will be available on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. To prevent ticket selling on the black market, NID showing has been made mandatory.”
Read More: Train tickets will be available 10 days before from 5 September
Meanwhile, many passengers got into an argument with the railway officials after not getting tickets even after waiting for hours. Many people come after Sehri and stand in the counter line of Kamalapur station to get tickets. The ticket seekers expressed their displeasure over this. However, those who got the ticket have a happy look on their face.
On the other hand, the allegation is that online tickets all sold out within a few minutes after opening. Passengers also complained that there was an error in the server of the online ticket. As a result, many cannot access the server. A private company called Shohoz.com has been given the responsibility of selling tickets online. Earlier, another private company called CNS used to sell train tickets.
Shohoz public relations officer Farhat Ahmed refused to accept the complaints of the passengers.
Explaining why tickets are not available online, Kamalapur station manager Masood said, “Shohoz said that when the ticket counter opens at 8 am, everyone tries to buy tickets together. When two lakh to three lakh people hit together, their server gets jammed. That is why there is a problem.”
Maximum measures have been taken to curb ticket sales on the black market. Government intelligence agencies including RMP, RAB, and Police are working. Railway department officials are also monitoring all the time.