Bangladesh Railway has started selling advance train tickets to ensure smooth travel for people heading home ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Azha. The operation began on Wednesday morning with the sale of tickets for the journey scheduled for May 23.
According to the announcement of the Railways, this time 100% advance tickets for the Eid Yatra are being sold online. Tickets for the western zone trains have been sold since 8 am on Wednesday. Tickets for the eastern zone trains will be sold from 2 pm on the same day.
Railway sources said that five-day advance tickets will be sold in stages before Eid. Accordingly, tickets for May 24 will be sold on May 14, tickets for May 25 on May 15, tickets for May 26 on May 16 and tickets for May 27 on May 17.
The authorities have also set some special rules for ticket management focusing on the Eid journey. A passenger can buy a maximum of four tickets at a time. It has also been informed that tickets purchased in advance cannot be returned or refunded.
The Railways also said that for the convenience of passengers, 25 percent of the total seats, excluding higher classes, will be sold from the station counters on the day of travel.
Special arrangements have also been made for the transportation of sacrificial animals on the occasion of Eid. Two special animal-carrying trains will run on May 22 and 23. The trains will depart from Dewanganj Bazar and Islampur Bazar and reach Kamalapur, Tejgaon and Dhaka Cantonment stations.
Meanwhile, the High Court has ordered to have a separate compartment for women in every passenger train to ensure safe and comfortable travel for female passengers. A bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Asif Hasan gave the order on Tuesday.
Concerned people believe that this special preparation by the railway to handle the additional passenger pressure ahead of Eid will have a positive impact on passenger services.