Eid train tickets: Frustrating app, woes at queues

University student Muslim Uddin came to Kamalapur Railway Station on Sunday with meals in a tiffin carrier. He ate there, passed a sleepless night and didn't move even for a minute from the queue.

The Jatrabari dweller got the train ticket after 9am on Monday, soon after the advance train ticket sale began.          

Like Muslim, many waited for more than 10 to 12 hours sitting on the floor at the station to secure their Eid journey. Meantime, Eid holidaymakers like the previous year alleged several issues over online e-ticketing.

Those who tried to buy tickets in the morning using mobile phone-based app said all their efforts went in vain.        

They logged in around 6am soon after the e-ticketing sale began and tried for hours. Most of them failed to purchase tickets for August 7 ahead of Eid-ul-Adha - most likely to be celebrated on August 12. 

Passengers said the crowd for advance tickets was thinner on Monday. The rush is likely to intensify from Tuesday as Bangladesh Railway, on that day, will sell tickets for August 8.

Same old story over e-ticketing 

Those who came to Kamalapur to purchase tickets from counters expressed mixed reactions over e-ticketing. Many alleged that the Bangladesh Railway (BR) server was too slow and at one point it displayed the sold out sign. 

"The admins of the e-ticking site probably have bought all those and sold to the black market," alleged a private university student, who rushed to the station after failing to manage e-ticketing.        

"The site always shows loading," claimed Mashud Kamal, another Eid holidaymaker.

A Chuadanga-bound passenger said he did not try for e-ticketing as his experience during the previous Eid was horrible. He came to the station on Sunday night and managed a ticket at 11:00am on Monday.   

No respite from schedule collapse: Minister 

Railways Minister Nurul Islam visited first day advance ticket sale around 11am. "Now BR is operating on a single line. Until we set up double lines, there is no sudden respite from schedule collapse," he told the press.

About the allegations over e-ticketing, the minister defended BR saying: "We are doing our best within the limited resources."          

"If we have arrangements for 10,000 people while 1 lakh queue up for the tickets - 90,000 would certainly return empty handed."

About e-ticketing allegations, he said: "It's not possible to handle if 5 lakh people hit the site at a time. Because we are giving 10,000 tickets per day through the app - which means 4,90,000 are out of our coverage. Their voice will undoubtedly be louder."