Online train tickets vanish in a blink as expert weighs in on black market fiasco

With the break of dawn on 14 March, the online ticket sales blossomed into a whirlwind of excitement, as eager travellers raced to secure their Eid-ul-Fitr journeys.

Yet, in an all-too-familiar scenario, the digital marketplace was quickly flooded, with tickets vanishing in mere moments, sparking frustration and dismay among countless eager travellers.

For years now, the online system has been the only avenue to secure a coveted seat on the Eid-bound trains, and each year, this has only intensified the rush.

According to reports, the website for railway ticket sales was inundated with millions of hits within minutes of opening its virtual gates.

By 9am, tickets for most of the trains heading to popular destinations such as Rangpur, Gaibandha and Kurigram were sold out, while the few remaining tickets for other routes, including Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat and Rajshahi, quickly followed suit. By 11am, nearly all the tickets had been snapped up.

At the Dhaka Railway Station, tempers flared as frustrated passengers arrived in droves, having failed to secure tickets online.

One such commuter, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted his experience of attempting, in vain, to book a ticket for a journey to Rajshahi on 24 March. Despite hours of trying, he was met with the relentless message: 'sold out'.

In a final attempt, he visited the station in person, only to be informed that the only option left was to purchase tickets online.

Shahadat Hossain, the Dhaka Railway Station Manager, confirmed the intense demand, revealing that within the first 10 minutes of the ticket sales opening on 14 March, tickets for the western regions had already flown off the digital shelves.

A staggering 20 million hits surged through the system, all for a limited 15,773 tickets. "The demand is overwhelming. It's no surprise that people are struggling to secure a ticket," Hossain added.

The second day of sales was equally chaotic, with more than 7.3 million attempts to buy tickets within the first 30 minutes. And this frenzy continued on 16 March, when tickets for 26 March went live, racking up an astonishing 98 million hits in the first 30 minutes of sales.

While officials insisted that there were no technical glitches with the website, the sheer volume of traffic – combined with the restricted number of tickets – left many disappointed.

Railway Ministry's Public Relations Officer Rezaul Karim Siddique had earlier detailed the advance sales schedule, but the excitement was already tempered by the mounting complaints from travellers.

Struggle of the Masses

Station Master-1, Anwar Hossain, explained the core issue: capacity. "Our trains have over 50,000 seats, but millions want to travel. The simultaneous online traffic puts a strain on our servers. The speed of the internet, it seems, plays a pivotal role in determining who manages to secure tickets. Those with superior internet connections are more likely to succeed. It's a race, and not everyone can win," Hossain said.

As part of the government's attempts to ensure fairness, tickets are now available in two shifts – one at 8 am and the other at 2 pm.

Besides, an OTP system has been introduced to prevent ticket scalping, ensuring that no single phone number can be used repeatedly to purchase multiple tickets.

Despite these measures, the lack of transparency and the sheer complexity of the system have raised suspicions.

Station Assistant Saidul Islam revealed that the old system, which allowed tickets to be purchased from third parties after they were technically sold out online, has been abolished. "Yet, the murmurs of a black market persist."

A Hidden Crisis

According to experts, the frenzy may not just be about the sheer demand for tickets.

Dr Mohammad Mesbah Uddin Sarkar, a professor from the Institute of Technology at Jahangirnagar University, raised concerns over the possibility of manipulation behind the scenes.

"In theory, if the server is fast enough, ticket sales could indeed be completed in just a few minutes, but the question is: is that happening here? Servers in our country rarely operate at such high speeds and it's possible that there are other forces at play," Sarkar warned.

The professor suggested that unscrupulous people, perhaps involved in the management of the online system, could be exploiting the situation. "This could be an excuse to cover up other activities – some people may be secretly siphoning off tickets and selling them on the black market," he claimed.

Indeed, with tens of thousands of eager travellers left stranded each year, it's difficult to ignore the possibility of covert operations driving the sale of "black tickets" – sold at a premium to those unable to book via the legitimate channels.

As millions prepare for the much-awaited Eid celebrations, the ticketing system remains a source of frustration and suspicion. While the railway authorities continue to push the narrative that high demand is the root of the problem, experts and passengers alike are questioning whether there is more to the story than meets the eye.

In the face of mounting complaints, one thing is clear: the road to Eid may not only be long and arduous, but also rife with uncertainties and unspoken truths.