Eid train ticket sales end within an hour
Demand was extremely high, with around six million hits recorded on the ticketing website during the first 30 minutes which means an average of 393 people competed for each ticket
ATT Correspondent 
Advance sales of intercity train tickets for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha began on Wednesday, drawing huge online demand as almost all tickets for Bangladesh Railway’s western region were sold out within an hour.
Ticket sales for trains operating in the western zone — covering Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions — began at 8:00am, reports Prothom Alo. Sales for the eastern zone, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions, started at 2:00pm.
Passengers buying tickets on Wednesday will travel on May 23. Like previous Eid seasons, all advance tickets are being sold online.
According to railway sources, 43 intercity trains will leave Dhaka on May 23. Of them, 20 trains will operate in the western region with 15,266 seats available.
Railway officials said more than 12,500 tickets were sold within the first 15 minutes after sales began, while 15,043 tickets had been sold by 9:00am.
Online demand was extremely high, with around six million hits recorded on the ticketing website during the first 30 minutes. This means an average of 393 people competed for each ticket.
Officials said the pressure on the website remained very high, especially for trains travelling to northern districts, which usually see the highest demand during Eid. Tickets for air-conditioned coaches were particularly popular.
“In many cases, the difference between getting a ticket and missing out was less than a second,” a railway official said.
For the eastern region, 23 trains will depart Dhaka on May 23 with 15,974 tickets available. Sales for those routes started in the afternoon, and railway authorities said demand was also very high.
Bangladesh Railway earlier announced the Eid ticket sale schedule. Under the plan, tickets for journeys on May 23 are being sold on May 13, while tickets for May 24, 25, 26 and 27 journeys will be available on May 14, 15, 16 and 17 respectively.
Return ticket sales after Eid will begin on May 21.
According to railway guidelines, a passenger can buy a maximum of four tickets once a day for both onward and return journeys during Eid. These tickets will not be refundable.
To reduce passenger pressure, Bangladesh Railway will also sell standing tickets equal to 25 percent of total seats on the day of travel. However, these tickets cannot be used in higher-class coaches.
Railway authorities said 10 special passenger trains will run during the Eid period.
Among them, the “Teesta Special” will operate on the Dhaka-Dewanganj route, while the “Chandpur Special” will run between Chattogram and Chandpur. These services will operate from May 25 until the day before Eid and again from the second day of Eid for three more days.
In addition, the “Parbatipur Special” will run on the Joydebpur-Parbatipur route for three days before Eid, from May 24 to 26, and for another three days after Eid.
Four other special trains will run only on Eid day to carry worshippers from Bhairab and Mymensingh to the Sholakia Eidgah.
Bangladesh Railway will also run two special cattle trains ahead of Eid to help transport sacrificial animals. The “Cattle Special” trains will operate on May 22 and 23 from Dewanganj Bazar and Islampur Bazar to Kamalapur, Tejgaon and Dhaka Cantonment stations.
