Minister: Only Online Ticket-Holders Will Make Train Journey This Year

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said that only those who have booked their tickets online for the Eid journey will be able to travel by train this year during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays.

"To minimize the possibility of Covid-19, no extra passengers will be allowed to get on the train this time," he said in an online interview with UNB.

This year, the Bangladesh Railway Authority took the opportunity to offer all of its tickets online via its smartphone device and website. The Minister stated that this timely move is targeted at reducing the massive crowds.

"Every year, we used to sell some tickets online, and the others at the counter drew a large crowd. To monitor that, we've sold all the train tickets online, and there's no rush at the station counter," he added, reiterating that it's just about a secure trip.

"There is a risk of coronavirus transmission throughout the trip to Eid. This is why we have set up access controls at Kamalapur and Airport Railway Stations to ensure the health of passengers, "he added.

The Minister stated that hand sanitizing stations have been set up at the railway stations and that trains are also being disinfected. "In addition to these things, we have agreed to carry half the passengers on the train."

He expanded on the advantages of essentially selling all seats. "Personals can buy tickets via the smartphone app. As a consequence, there's no possibility for someone to get on the train but the riders, so we're not letting anybody at the station because no one has a reservation, "he added.

Trains leaving Dhaka at the airport, Joydebpur, and Narsingdi stations do not halt to get rid of unwanted passengers.

The Minister of Railways told UNB that the government aims to extend the usage of trains to transport goods.

“Air-conditioned refrigerator wagons are coming from abroad for delivering fish, meat, milk and other perishable food items to different parts of the country,” he said.