Railways secretary says preparations in place to avoid major Eid delays

He has promised a strict crackdown on roof-riding, station chaos

Train services during Eid-ul-Azha are expected to operate without any major schedule disruptions, Railways Secretary Fahimul Islam has said.

After a visit to the Kamalapur Railway Station on Saturday morning, the secretary told journalists that current operational preparations are robust enough to minimise delay risks, according to a media release.

"The official Eid rush has commenced today. We have been closely monitoring train schedules and overall management since this morning," Fahimul said.

The railways secretary noted that management during Eid-ul-Fitr was largely successful, barring two isolated incidents -- a train derailment in the western zone and a collision between a bus and a train at a level crossing in Cumilla.

Fahimul acknowledged a slight shortage of metre-gauge locomotives but said contingency plans were already in place.

"We set a target to keep 85 metre-gauge locomotives operational during the Eid rush. Currently, 78 to 79 engines are fully ready, and we expect that number to surpass 80 by tomorrow," he explained.

Fahimul said a combined force of the Railway Security Force (RNB), Government Railway Police (GRP), and mobile courts is on duty to ensure safety and prevent roof-riding.

A three-tier security system has also been established at stations to filter out ticketless travellers, he said.

"To accommodate the immense holiday rush, we have retained the provision for 25 percent standing tickets," Fahimul said.