Eid holidays: Passengers struggle to secure seats as advance Eid train ticket sales end

Tamanna Akter had been trying since this morning (10 March) to secure a train ticket to Natore for 19 March. But within seconds of the booking window opening, the seats were gone.

“The tickets were gone within the processing time the internet took to complete the payment,” she said, describing her failed attempt to confirm the journey.

Tamanna’s experience reflects the struggle faced by many passengers as advance ticket sales for intercity trains ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr came to an end. 

With most seats selling out within minutes, numerous travellers reported difficulties securing tickets for the holiday rush.

According to railway sources, the advance sales began on 3 March and continued until 9 March.

The sales were conducted entirely online for trains scheduled to run between 13 March and 19 March.

Under the set schedule, tickets for each travel date were released on specific days. 

However, most tickets were sold out within minutes, leaving many passengers unable to obtain tickets despite repeated attempts online.

Passengers alleged that even when they logged in before the scheduled release time, accessing the system was difficult. 

In many cases, delays in entering the website, slow server response, or tickets selling out suddenly prevented them from completing their bookings.

Meanwhile, although unsold online tickets are usually sold at station counters within a set time, no tickets were available at counters this time as all were sold online.

Railway official Sajidul Islam said the online ticketing system has helped reduce long queues at stations during the Eid rush. 

However, due to extremely high passenger demand, it is not possible to provide tickets to everyone.

Bangladesh Railway has announced that advance ticket sales for return journeys will begin on 13 March and continue until 18 March. 

These tickets will also be sold exclusively through the online system.

Railway authorities also said the special Eid travel tickets are non-refundable.

Strict verification of national identity cards (NID) is being enforced during ticket purchases.