Staff Reporter :The sale of advance train tickets will begin from Monday and launch tickets from Thursday for passengers going home on the occasion of the Holy Eid-ul-Azha. Bangladesh Railway (BR) and BangladeshInland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will keep eyes on the selling of tickets. Joint Director General (Operation) of BR S M Murad Hossain said, they have taken all-out preparations to ensure a smooth sale of train tickets amid adequate security measures. “The Railway officials will supervise the selling of advance train tickets at Kamalapur and Chittagong Railway Stations amid adequate security surveillance, he said. Seven pairs of special trains will be added to the existing ones in order to meet the extra pressure of passengers. The sale of tickets will begin at 8am everyday and each passenger will be allowed to purchase maximum four tickets, but no ticket once sold will be taken back.Bangladesh Railway will sell train tickets of September 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 respectively on August 29, 30, 31, and September 1 and 2. The return tickets of the Railways will be available at Rajshahi, Khulna, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat Railway Stations under Paksey and Lalmonirhat divisions after the Eid-ul-Azha.Return tickets will be sold on September 5, 7, 8 and 9 for September 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 respectively. Earlier on August 21 at a press conference, Railways Minister Mohammad Mujibul Hauqe said that seven pairs of special trains, including two pairs for Sholakia Eid congregation would be added. He said, a total of 1,146 passengers’ bogies including 140 repaired ones will be added to the fleet while 220 Railway locomotives (engine) will be there on the occasion of Eid.The Railways Minister said that no train service between Dhaka and Kolkata would run on September 11 and 12 on the occasion of Eid. Meanwhile, the home-goers will be able to collect all kinds of launch advance tickets from Sadarghat Launch Terminal from September 1 and it will continue till the ticket stock runs out.The BITWA will start to sell their tickets for its five steamers this year while the private launch authorities for 70 vessels, Mobarak Hossain said adding that they must sell their tickets as per the capacity of launch.Shipping Secretary Ashok Madhab Roy said, the Ministry has taken all the necessary preparations to avert any accident on waterways.He said the law enforcers, including Bangladesh Coast Guard and River Police, will remain deployed at launch terminals to ensure security measures in addition to mobile court drives to check overloading.
