Eid travels marred by delays in train departures due to schedule disruptions
The joys of Eid travels have been slightly dampened by excessive passenger pressure and delays in train departures due to disruptions in timetable.
On Tuesday morning, the first day of public holiday for Eid-ul-Azha, the pressure of railway passengers increased at Kamalapur rail station.
Trains were also delayed by up to two hours.
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The advance ticket sale for the Eid trip using intercity trains started from 14 June. Tickets for 24 June were sold that day. The ticket for 27 June was released on 17 June. Only those who got tickets on that day were able to get seats on the train today.
However, 25% of the total tickets for Shovon category are sold as standing tickets before the train departs, long queues were seen at the counters and at the gate.
However, the Kamalapur station authority claims that they are not responsible for the delay in departure of the trains. They said that some trains arrived at the station late and thus took extra time to leave.
Kamalapur Station Manager Masud Sarwar said, "We had to carry out adequate inspection considering the safety of passengers during Eid. Because of this, some trains in the western region have been delayed by half an hour to an hour."
Meanwhile, the day's interdistrict journey from Kamalapur was supposed to start with the departure of Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express, but the train failed to leave on time.
Instead of the scheduled time of 6am, the train left at 8:04am. The train, which left two hours and four minutes late, was three hours late in reaching Bangabandhu Bridge East station.
Nilsagar Express going toward Chilahati was scheduled to leave at 6:40am but it left Kamalapur at 8:17am.
Rangpur Express left Kamalapur at the scheduled time of 9:10am but Panchagarh bound Ekota express left 22 minutes late.
The Khulna-bound Sundarban Express was scheduled to leave at 8:15am, but it left Kamalapur 50 minutes late at 9:50am.
Homebound people are suffering due to the delay. Dhumketu Express passenger Shahidul Islam is going to Rajshahi with his wife and two children.
He told TBS that it was not possible to have breakfast before leaving home as the train was scheduled to leave in the morning. Waiting more than two hours in this condition is very difficult, he said.
Jasmine Akhter is going to Nilphamari with her old mother in Nalisagar Express. She said, "The train did not arrive on time. There is no place to even sit at the platform."
