All advance tickets for intercity trains running on Eid will be made available online by Bangladesh Railway. The act intends to reduce the difficulties people typically deal with when purchasing train tickets before and after the festival.
Train tickets for April 17 will be sold on April 7 and tickets for April 18, 19, 20 and 21 will be sold on April 8, 9, 10 and 11.
The decisions were made at an inter-ministerial meeting at Rail Bhaban which was presided over by Railway Minister, Nurul Islam Sujan.
Many people have expressed concern that selling all of the tickets online will exclude those who are unfamiliar with the internet.
Every year, large crowds gather at Kamalapur Railway Station and several other major stations to purchase tickets ahead of Eid. Many people have to wait 30 to 40 hours for a ticket.
According to railway sources, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) recently asked that the BR to increase the number of ticket counters to 30 in order to relieve people's suffering.
The BR initially planned to open ten counters in various locations throughout the capital, but it changed the plan because it lacks the capacity to do so.
A senior ministry official said that the most recent decision will be tested first.
The ministry will initiate a significant publicity campaign regarding early tickets and, if required, build up booths to help people with signing up for BR online before the sale's beginning.
"We sent letters to all deputy commissioners mentioning that digital centres at the union parishad should help people register," said the officer.
Saidur Rahman, Executive Director of Road Safety Foundation, said "Many people without internet access would not be able to buy tickets. The authorities should take steps against ticket sellers instead of making the system more complicated".
Source: The Daily Star
