Rashad Ahamad | Published: 23:46, Jul 04,2022 | Updated: 15:10, Jul 05,2022
The Dhaka Railway Station counters at Kamalapur remain crowded also on Monday with advance train ticket seekers who intend to leave the capital for celebrating Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones at village home or elsewhere. — Sourav Lasker
Holidaymakers were in a mad rush for advance train and bus tickets while launches faced passenger crisis on Monday five days before Eid-ul-Azha to be celebrated in Bangladesh on July 10.
Transport operators and employees said that the Padma Bridge had already brought about a radical change in the preference for mode of transport among people of the south-western region of Bangladesh, with many launch passengers on greater Barishal routes now travelling by buses to save time and money.
On the other hand, a heavy pressure on buses and trains to northern districts persists as before.
Sweater factory operator Md Ripon Miah, who was waiting in a queue at the Kamlapur railway station in the capital for three tickets to Dinajpur, said that he was uncertain about celebrating this Eid with his family.
‘I have been here since 5:00pm on July 3 to buy tickets,’ said Ripon at 4:00pm on Monday. He originally wished to buy tickets for July 8 but did not get.
He said that he took leave from his office to buy tickets and had been in the queue just eating biscuits and cakes, now hoping to have tickets for July 9.
‘I hardly leave my spot even for using toilet. If I leave, someone else may occupy the spot,’ he said, adding that his friend Tipu stood in his place when he had to move from there.
Ripon said that he was not sure if he would get his tickets, adding that he will still have to wait for about another 40 hours to know his fate.
The Bangladesh Railway has started selling advance train tickets at counters and online on July 1.
Those intending to travel to northern districts, including Rangpur, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, were heavily suffering for inadequate tickets.
Kamalapur railway station manager Mohammad Masud Sarwar said that about 26,000 train tickets were being sold for each day, adding, ‘But the number of ticket seekers is many times higher than the number of tickets.’
Advance online train tickets are available on the Rail Sheba mobile app and e-ticketing website of the railway operated by the Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen company, the ticketing partner of the railway.
A person is allowed to buy a maximum of four tickets at a time by showing the national identity card or the birth certificate of each passenger.
Officials said that half of the total tickets were being sold online.
Ticket seekers said that they had failed to buy tickets using the app and the website.
Shohoz Ltd public relations manager Farhat Ahmed told New Age that on Monday from 8:00am to 6:00pm tickets for 12,025 seats were sold online and 13,360 offline.
On July 3, he pointed out, the server had some 14.5 crore hits and six lakh of them in the first few minutes against nearly 14,000 tickets.
‘It means that a significant number of ticket seekers are making many hits or using more than one device,’ he said.
The railway started selling advance tickets on July 1. On the first day, it sold tickets for July 5, on July 2 for July 6, on July 3 for July 7, on July 4 for July 8 and on July 5 tickets will be given for July 9.
Advance tickets for return journeys are likely to be sold on July 7 for July 11, on July 8 for July 12, on July 9 for July 13 and on July 11 for July 14 and July 15.
Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carriers Association senior vice-president Badiuzzaman Badal said that launches were leaving Sadarghat with vacant seats.
‘We are now operating two launches after the Padma Bridge inauguration in place of five launches before for the same duration,’ he said.
Md Shafiullah, a private firm employee in Dhaka who wishes to enjoy the Eid holiday at his ancestral house in Pirojpur, said that on the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday he went home by launch but this time he preferred bus to save time.
‘The bus journey now will take only four hours compared with six hours before the Padma Bridge opening. But the launch travel needs 10 to 12 hours,’ he said.
According to a Bangladesh Inland Water Transport official, before the Padma Bridge was opened, some 150 launches came to and left the Sadarghat launch terminal in Dhaka each day, carrying about one lakh passengers.
And during the Eid festivals earlier, some 50 lakh passengers travelled by launches, he said.
Bus operators said that the pressure of passengers via the Padma Bridge was huge and the situation on the roads to northern districts was similar.
Eagle Paribahan Gabtoli ticket counter in-charge Md Rubel said that tickets were available for buses operating through the Paturia ferry terminal to Jashore, Magura, Jhenidah and other destinations in that direction but there were no tickets available for northern districts.
He added that some buses, withdrawing from the Paturia ferry route, started operating via the Padma Bridge based on the new demand.
Saidabad Terminal Bus Owners Association president Abul Kalam said that the number of buses on Mawa Road increased after the Padma Bridge opening and the number of trips also increased due to the shorter travel time thanks to the bridge.
‘Roughly 600 new buses will start operating on Mawa Road soon on the occasion of Eid,’ he said.
Hanif Paribahan counter master Mohamamd Ali said that tickets for travel on July 7 and 8 had already been sold.
A private company executive Abdur Razzak, who was searching bus tickets at the Gabtoli bus terminal on Monda morning to travel to his ancestral home in Barguna on July 8, was yet to get tickets.
He complained that bus owners had increased the bus fare by Tk 200 to 250 ahead of Eid.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology professor and transportation engineer Md Hadiuzzaman said that public sufferings during any public holiday were nothing new in Bangladesh.
Roads are not suitable to tackle the additional pressure but trains are, he said.
‘But, unfortunately, the rail infrastructure meant for northern districts does not correspond to the demand,’ he further said.
‘A rail line with double tracks from Dhaka to the country’s northern districts with adequate trains is the best solution to the public suffering,’ he observed.
The Padma Bridge that connects the country’s south-western districts with Dhaka city was opened to traffic on June 26 and the bridge has significantly cut the time of travel to the districts.
Few passengers aboard a launch at Dhaka River Port at Sadarghat in the capital on Monday as south-bound vessels experience fall in passenger number following the opening of Padma Bridge that linked the southern district with the capital. — New Age photo
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