As travellers’ demand for train tickets kept on rising, some 150 new and repaired coaches and seven special trains would be pressed into service on August 14 on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr festival, railway officials said on Wednesday.
The communications and railway minister, Obaidul Kader who held a meeting at the Rail Bhaban, said they were trying to provide maximum services to the passengers with limited tickets and manpower.
He said seven special trains will run during the Eid holidays while 150 new and repaired coaches would join the existing fleet of trains on August 14.
‘We have to manage the situation with our limited coaches, engines and manpower,’ Qader said, adding they were selling 10 per cent advance train tickets even for standing passengers.
Asked about shortage of train tickets, Qader admitted his ministry’s helplessness as they had only 2,500 tickets for sale while 10,000 passengers stood in queues to buy them.
Railway director general Mohammad Abu Taher told reporters roughly 43,000 travellers would be able to reach their destinations everyday from August 14 to August 18.
Besides, seven special trains would carry about 9,000 passengers from Dhaka and Chittagong to their destinations in a day from August 19.
Taher said tickets for special and express trains would be sold a few days ahead of the Eid. The railway department will cancel all trains on weekly holidays to cope with the situation.
According to schedule, five pairs of special trains would be running on Dhaka-Dewanganj-Dhaka, Chittagong-Chandpur-Chittagong, Chittagong-Noakhali-Chittagong, Dhaka-Parbatipur-Dhaka and Dhaka-Khulna-Dhaka routes before and after the eid festival.
On the Eid day, Taher said two special pair trains would be running on Mymensingh-Kishoreganj-Mymensingh and Bhairab-Kishoreganj-Bhairab routes to facilitate people to attend the Eid prayer at Sholakia, where the country’s largest Eid congregation is held.
Asked about the dilapidated road conditions, the railway minister claimed that there was no problem with any national or regional highways.
He, however, said there were some places where the conditions were comparatively bad but those places were being repaired for movement of traffic.
Qader requested the media not to spread any news that could create pressure on railway as many people were avoiding travel by roads.