Railway disruptions on the first day of intercity Eid travel

Kamalapur Railway Station officers say additional train services will be offered to offset the Eid rush, blamed minor delays on mechanical issues

The first day of Eid travel by train has already seen many passengers heading to northern and eastern regions of the country facing difficulties.

The trips officially began on Monday at 6am with the departure of the Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express from the capital's railway station.

The Burimari Express, scheduled to leave for the northern districts at 8:30am, did not depart until 10am. Similarly, the Kishoreganj-bound Egarosindhur Provati, which was set to leave at 10:30am, was delayed until 11:20am. These disruptions left passengers frustrated with the wait.

Maimuna Begum, a passenger travelling on the Burimari Express with her three children, shared her frustration. She had secured online tickets for her two daughters, who are studying at Dhaka University and Eden College, while purchasing a standing ticket for her younger son. Arriving early at 6am to avoid crowds, she waited for over an hour with no train in sight.

"They announced on the loudspeaker that the train would arrive soon, but we're still waiting," she told bdnews24.com.

Confusion about platform numbers also added to the delays, as the Egarosindhur Provati was not found at its designated platform. Instead, the Burimari Express train changed course to serve as the Egarosindhur on its route to Kishoreganj, confusing passengers.

Despite multiple announcements, Kishoreganj-bound passengers were confused, with one passenger, Shoyebur Rahman, asking bdnews24.com correspondents to help find his platform.

However, Kamalapur Railway Station Manager Shahadat Hossain refused to acknowledge the disruptions.

He explained that the Burimari Express was delayed by one and a half hours due to a shortage of engines, and the Egarosindhur Provati was delayed by 50 minutes due to a replacement issue.

"Out of the 18 intercity trains that have departed so far today, only two were delayed. I don’t think passengers faced major inconvenience," he said.

Shahadat also informed reporters that train operations started at 6am on the first day of the Eid journey. As of 11am, 18 intercity trains have departed from Dhaka. Another 43 intercity trains, 25 mail trains, and commuter trains will depart from Dhaka later in the day.

“We are trying to operate all of the trains on time. Trains have not been delayed, except for mechanical problems. If we learn in advance that a train will be delayed, we inform the passengers through text messages. But we cannot provide the same service in case of sudden mechanical issues.”

Regarding the overall security of the trains, he said: “We have set up checks at different levels at the railway station, making sure no one can enter without a ticket. That way ticket-holding passengers can travel safely and comfortably.”

“We have deployed security force personnel on the train and at the station. Railway Police members are working full-time.”

Highlighting Bangladesh Railway’s action plan to ensure a smooth Eid journey, Shahadat said: “Today, between 50,000 to 55,000 passengers will depart from Dhaka on mail and intercity trains. We expect the station to become even more crowded on the 27th and 28th. To accommodate last-minute travellers without tickets, we are allocating 25 percent of tickets as standing tickets each day. This year, all trains will depart exclusively from Kamalapur.”

Kamruzzaman, an HSC examinee from Bangla College in Dhaka, said: “We will go home on the Ekota Express. My college friend and I will go to Joypurhat together. The train has just arrived, the arrival time was 10:15am. It arrived at 10:10am, without any delay.”

Eden College student Afrin Nahar told bdnews24.com, “I wanted to get tickets for the Agnibina, but it sold out in minutes, so I got tickets for the Jamalpur Express to go home for Eid. The announcement said the train will be arriving shortly.”

To accommodate increased demand, Bangladesh Railway has introduced several special Eid trains, including services on routes like Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Dewanganj, and Dhaka-Parbatipur.

Eid Specials 1 and 2 will be running on the Dhaka-Chattogram route, whereas Eid Specials 3 and 4 will run on the Dhaka-Dewanganj route.

For the Bhairab Bazar-Kishoreganj route, the railway has introduced the Sholakia Eid Specials 5 and 6, and for Mymensingh-Kishoreganj, the Sholakia Eid Specials 6 and 7.

A pair of trains named Parbatipur Eid Specials 9 and 10 will be running on the Joydebpur-Parbatipur route.

In addition, a total of 44 passenger coaches, including 28-metre gauge from the Pahartali workshop and 36 broad gauge from the Syedpur workshop, will be included in the service to meet the additional demand during Eid.

Similarly, a total of 19 locomotive passenger trains, which include 14 metre gauge and 5 broad gauge will be used to meet the additional demand.

Station Manager Shahadat said, “Intercity trains will not run on Eid, but some will start running from the next day.”