E-ticketing adds to rail users' woes before Eid
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Jasim Uddin Haroon
The homebound passengers' sufferings to obtain train tickets before the Eid mount to a new height due to introduction of mobile phone-based e-ticketing system, although the authority is claiming that the new system has reduced their woes.
A number of train commuters told the FE Saturday that most of them did not get any ticket despite repeatedly trying for it through their cellular phones and visiting the phone companies' retail shops and centres.
Currently, two mobile companies - Grameenphone and Banglalink - are offering train tickets for all destinations.
The Bangladesh Railway (BR) is selling nearly cent per cent of its train tickets through mobile phones form November 3. Earlier, it used to offer only 10 per cent tickets.
The BR officials said the new system has facilitated their ticket selling. BR divisional commercial officer Syed Jahurul Islam said: "We think that public suffering has been reduced to a great extent, as they need not come to the stations for tickets and wait for hours."
However, Rina, a Sylhet-bound passenger, said: "We visited many retail shops of Banglalink, but didn't get even a single ticket after spending more than seven hours Friday."
Besides Rina, hundreds of homebound people had to wait in front of the Banglalink points, and most of them returned empty handed.
"I think that the previous system was better, as there is no space here even for standing," said Golam Murtaza, who was waiting in queue for long in front of a Banglalink point at Motijheel Saturday.
Banglalink points give tokens to the homebound passengers prior to issuing printed ticket copies.
Ariful Hoque, another Dinajpur-bound passenger, alleged that Grameenphone advised him to refill 'Mobicash', a product of the company, to get a ticket. "But GP didn't gave me any assurance of getting tickets," he added.
A GP official told the FE: "We cannot guarantee passengers about getting their tickets. But they must refill 'Mobicash' prior to trying for tickets."
When contacted, the retailers said a retailer cannot sell more than six tickets a day.
The state-owned BR is selling advance tickets for five days on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Azha from November 3. It will continue until November 7, officials said.
The BR will sell around 60,000 tickets of intercity and commuter trains for the Eid festival. Another 20,000 homebound train passengers might travel as 'standing passengers.'
Only Suborno Express, a Chittagong-bound train, will not carry any standing passenger.
Officials said BR's 46 train services including intercity and commuters will run at their full capacity from Kamalapur, Joydevpur, Dhaka Cantonment and Airport railway stations from November 12.
The homebound passengers' sufferings to obtain train tickets before the Eid mount to a new height due to introduction of mobile phone-based e-ticketing system, although the authority is claiming that the new system has reduced their woes.
A number of train commuters told the FE Saturday that most of them did not get any ticket despite repeatedly trying for it through their cellular phones and visiting the phone companies' retail shops and centres.
Currently, two mobile companies - Grameenphone and Banglalink - are offering train tickets for all destinations.
The Bangladesh Railway (BR) is selling nearly cent per cent of its train tickets through mobile phones form November 3. Earlier, it used to offer only 10 per cent tickets.
The BR officials said the new system has facilitated their ticket selling. BR divisional commercial officer Syed Jahurul Islam said: "We think that public suffering has been reduced to a great extent, as they need not come to the stations for tickets and wait for hours."
However, Rina, a Sylhet-bound passenger, said: "We visited many retail shops of Banglalink, but didn't get even a single ticket after spending more than seven hours Friday."
Besides Rina, hundreds of homebound people had to wait in front of the Banglalink points, and most of them returned empty handed.
"I think that the previous system was better, as there is no space here even for standing," said Golam Murtaza, who was waiting in queue for long in front of a Banglalink point at Motijheel Saturday.
Banglalink points give tokens to the homebound passengers prior to issuing printed ticket copies.
Ariful Hoque, another Dinajpur-bound passenger, alleged that Grameenphone advised him to refill 'Mobicash', a product of the company, to get a ticket. "But GP didn't gave me any assurance of getting tickets," he added.
A GP official told the FE: "We cannot guarantee passengers about getting their tickets. But they must refill 'Mobicash' prior to trying for tickets."
When contacted, the retailers said a retailer cannot sell more than six tickets a day.
The state-owned BR is selling advance tickets for five days on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Azha from November 3. It will continue until November 7, officials said.
The BR will sell around 60,000 tickets of intercity and commuter trains for the Eid festival. Another 20,000 homebound train passengers might travel as 'standing passengers.'
Only Suborno Express, a Chittagong-bound train, will not carry any standing passenger.
Officials said BR's 46 train services including intercity and commuters will run at their full capacity from Kamalapur, Joydevpur, Dhaka Cantonment and Airport railway stations from November 12.