Launches lose appeal amid shift in transport trend 

Moushumi Islam was left surprised when she managed to smoothly get on board a Barisal-bound launch at the capital's Sadarghat ahead of Eid on Sunday (7 April).

Anticipating traffic congestion and an overcrowded launch terminal, Moushumi, who was travelling to her hometown with elderly in-laws and children, left her Banasree residence at 5pm to catch the launch leaving at 8pm.

However, though she faced traffic congestion on the roads, the crowd at the terminal was relatively thin. Pressure of passengers was seen at bus terminals and counters, and at railway stations.

Elaborating on her amazement, Moushumi said, "Even last year, when we went home on the 27th Ramadan, the situation was vastly different. We encountered long queues for tickets to enter the terminal and crowded launches during our journey.

"Today, I did not see many passengers, which is an unusual scene for me."

Before the inauguration of the Padma Bridge in 2022, the Sadarghat launch terminal was a scene of chaos during Eid. Overcrowded launches, a rush of home-bound people jostling for tickets, and passengers fighting over seats were common incidents.

According to the authorities, after the opening of Padma Bridge, the number of passengers on waterways reduced significantly. 

But a section of passengers still preferred the river route to the southern region last year to avoid hassles caused by bad road conditions and congestions at some points. There was also trouble getting advance tickets.    

This year's road and rail trips have been quite smooth.  

For this Eid journey, the launch operators started selling advance tickets from the 20th of Ramadan, but there was not much response. Authorities are hoping sales would pick up after Eid holidays start for garment workers.

Badiuzzaman Badal, senior vice-president of Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carrier Association (BIWPCA), said, "A few years back, there used to be so many passengers that I could not give tickets to everyone. Launches left ahead of scheduled time as they were full. But now we have to wait for passengers.

"Only 5 launches left Sadarghat for Barisal today [yesterday]. Even last year, seven to ten launches were operating daily ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr," he added. 

Alamgir Kabir, joint director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), expressed concern over the diminishing appeal of launches for Eid travel. 

He said the improved road infrastructure, which has made land travel more convenient and less time-consuming for passengers, is one of the main reasons for the decreased interest in launches. 

He further said that the decline in passengers has not only affected launches, but also impacted the livelihoods of hawkers and porters at Sadarghat terminal.

Increased pressure of passengers at bus terminals, railway stations

Yesterday, on the fifth day of the train journey ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, Kamalapur Railway Station saw an added pressure of passengers compared to the last four days. However, there was no significant problem in the train schedule.

Kamalapur Railway Station Manager Masud Sarwar said, "Pressure of home-bound passengers has been high since morning. But because of our prior preparation everything is in order. The trains also left the station timely."

Meanwhile, bus terminals have also been seeing a high number of passengers since the last few days. The most number of people were seen at Sayedabad bus terminal in the capital on Sunday, according to authorities concerned.

According to transport officials, there was not much traffic congestion on the roads and highways, but there was some pressure on the Padma Bridge.