Though the holy Eid al-Fitr is still a week away, people have already started leaving the capital Dhaka to return to their hometowns. From Saturday morning (March 14), crowds of passengers were seen at Dhaka Railway Station as many prepared to travel home by train for Eid.
Many people arrived at the station early in the morning with their families, while others came to send family members to their villages ahead of time.
A visit to the station showed that some passengers were leaving Dhaka with their entire families, while others were sending relatives to their hometowns first. Many passengers said they decided to travel earlier than usual to avoid the heavy crowds and possible inconvenience right before Eid.
Passenger Miraj Ur Rahman, who was traveling on the Burimari Express, said, “I will get off at Kaunia Railway Station. For traveling to northern Bangladesh, trains are the most comfortable transport. I’m leaving a bit early to avoid hassle.”
Student and passenger Miraj Ur Rahman added, “As Eid approaches, the pull to return home feels even stronger. That’s why I started my journey a little earlier to avoid difficulties.”
He said trains are the most comfortable and safest way to travel to northern Bangladesh, and long journeys feel less tiring when traveling by train.
Passenger Humayun Ahmed Himu, traveling on the Jamalpur Express, said, “Crowds increase a lot during Eid. So I’m going home early with my mother and younger sister. We’ve already finished our Eid shopping.”
He added that the station was not very crowded yet. “My father will come to the village home on March 17 after his leave starts. He dropped us off at the station a little while ago. The joy of Eid has already begun from here.”
Special train services for Eid travel began yesterday, March 13. Today is the second day of the special arrangement. Additional security measures have been taken at the station entrance. At the entrance of Dhaka Railway Station, passengers are allowed in only after their tickets are checked twice.
Passengers with tickets are not facing any problems, but no one is allowed to enter the station without a ticket.
Traveling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) on duty said that anyone trying to enter without a ticket is strictly prevented from doing so. However, if someone has purchased three tickets but has four family members traveling, a standing ticket is being issued for the extra person at the standard fare.
They added that authorities are trying their best to maintain discipline during Eid travel and ensure that no one enters the station without a ticket. For this reason, tickets are checked in two stages at the entrance.
Today, 30 intercity trains will depart from Dhaka to different destinations across the country. These trains have a total of 28,926 seats. Among them, 16,194 seats on 23 trains in the eastern region and 12,732 seats on 17 trains in the western region were sold online by Bangladesh Railway on March 4.
