Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Mar 13, 2026 (BSS)- Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has said the government is working with maximum capacity to ensure a safe and comfortable Eid journey for home goers on the occasion of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.

He said 124 metre gauge and 14 broad gauge rail coaches have been added to various intercity trains to accommodate more passengers to travel.

Apart from the regular service, the minister said, Bangladesh Railways will operate five pairs of special trains on the occasion of Eid, he said after visiting Kamalapur Railway Station ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
 
The minister said arrangements have also been taken to carry maximum number of passengers on road and waterways.

He said despite huge pressure from passengers in selling tickets online, everyone has received their tickets and maximum preparations have been made to ensure smooth journey by train and other modes of transport.

Regarding advance train tickets online, Rabiul Alam said advance ticket sales started on March 3 and passengers bought tickets online. 

About 37 lakh people tried to buy tickets online, but according to the railway's capacity, about 36,000 tickets could be sold, he said. 

He said after booking a ticket, a maximum five to 15 minutes are allowed for payment. Due to this many online ticket seekers had to wait until final settlement of a large number of tickets. 

However, at the end, all the passengers who wanted to buy tickets received their tickets fairly, he said.

The railway minister said on the first day of the Eid journey, 21 trains left for their designated destinations and most of them are running on time. Only two trains left about 40 minutes late and the reason for the late was an accident, he said.

Rabiul Alam said passengers expressed satisfaction over the service. However, they are also expressed concerns about the continuity of this service. 

Assuring them in this regard, the minister said, "We want to maintain the quality of rail service that passengers are seeing now at any cost. The quality of this service will be improved further in the future."

Rabiul Alam said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed to make rail communication modern and people-friendly, so that people can travel long distances comfortably in a short time. 

To this end, the government is working to bring radical changes in the rail communication system, he said.

Urging commuters not to travel on the roof of the train, the minister said strict measures are being taken to stop this trend.
 
About the challenge of the Eid travels, the minister said about 1.25 crore to 1.5 crore people leave Dhaka in just two to three days. Although the movement of so many people in such a short time is a big challenge, the government is trying its best to address it, he said.
The minister said there are plans to add new coaches, buses and boats to increase the capacity of the transport system. At the same time, the government is also working towards bringing discipline in bus management, he said.

In the current situation, Rabiul Alam said, there is no possibility of increasing fuel prices, so public transport fares should not go up.

Regarding the train schedule, the minister said at least 85 to 87 metre gauge locomotives are required to avoid any major disruption. Currently, 78 locomotives have been added to railways and if a few more are added in the next two days, the situation will improve further, he said.

About security, he said in addition to the railway police, regular police, highway police, naval police and law enforcement forces are working together to ensure a smooth journey of home goers. 

Ansar members have also been given responsibility, while volunteers wearing special jackets have also been appointed to maintain discipline, he said.

State Minister for Railways and Road Transport Habibur Rashid, Railways Secretary Md Fahimul Islam, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Dr Mohammed Ziaul Haque, Director General of Bangladesh Railway Md Afzal Hossain and senior officials of the ministries were present.