Advance railway ticket sales start Sept 15

Bangladesh Railway is set to operate 10 extra trains in different routes to carry home bound passengers during the Eid-ul-Azha and start selling tickets in advance from September 15.
"We will operate five pairs of special (extra) trains in different routes for 10 days before and after the holy Eid-ul-Azha to address the extra load of passengers during the occasion," Railway Minister Mujibul Haque told a news briefing at Railway Bhaban in the capital.
He said the railway would operate these special train services for three days before the Eid and for seven days after the Eid, meaning the special trains would be on service from September 22 to 24 and Sept 27 to Oct 3, a BSS report said.
The minister said another two pairs of extra trains would operate on the Eid day alone to carry people to Solakia of Kishorganj, where the largest Eid jamaat is held every year.
The minister said the railway would start selling tickets in advance for home-bound passengers during the Eid-ul-Azha from September 15 alongside operating the extra trains.
Acting Railway Secretary Feroz Salauddin and Railway Director General M Amjad Hossain also spoke at the briefing.
Asked if the authorities took cautions against ticket black marketing which exposes ordinary passengers to agonies, the minister said "special measures have been taken to strictly control any such attempts" engaging all law enforcement agencies.
"Initiatives have been taken to enforce a round the clock vigil at all the major railway stations like Kamalapur (Dhaka), Dhaka Cantonment, Airport, Jaidebpur, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Syhet, Rajshahi and Khulna with the help from GRP (General Railway Police), RNB (railway's own security force) , local police, RAB and BGB."
Besides, he said, mobile court also will be fielded with the cooperation from the deputy commissioners to prevent the ticket black marketing and any other crime coinciding with the festival which could harm the passengers.
The minister said the people intending to travel to home in railways from September 20 could buy the tickets five days in advance.
The railway officials explained the decision saying if one wants to go travel on September 20 could get the ticket on September 15 while if someone wants to travel on Sept 23 could procure it on Sept 18.
Besides, they said, the return railway tickets also would be sold five days in advance from Khulna, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat railway station after the Eid under identical arrangements. The ticket selling will start from 9am and a
One passenger will get maximum four tickets and the ticket once sold will never be returned.
The special train services will be operated on Dhaka-Dewanganj-Dhaka route as Dewanganj special.
Chandpur Special-1 to be operated on Chittagong-Chandpur and Chittagong route, Chandpur Special-2 to be operated on Chittagong-Chandpur-Chittagong route, Parbotipur Special on Parbotipur-Dhaka-Parbotipur and Khulna Special on Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna.
The railway also will operate “Solakia Special-1” on Bhairab-Kishorganj-Bhairab and “Solakia Special-2” on Mymensingh-Kishorganj-Mymensingh route particularly on the Eid day.
The railway department also will annex 138 additional railway coaches with the existing 886 regular coaches for carrying additional passengers during the Eid.
-SS