No fear of schedule disruption in Eid travel: Rail secy

There is no fear of disruption in the schedule of this year's Eid travel, said Bangladesh Railways secretary Md Fahimul Islam on Saturday.

''We have taken extensive security and management measures to ensure safe and smooth train travel during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha holidays, with particular emphasis on preventing passengers from travelling on train rooftops and without tickets,'' he said responding to a media query after the visit. 

Speaking about Eid travel management, Fahimul Islam said law enforcement agencies and Railway Police have been placed on alert to stop passengers from boarding train roofs, especially on northern region-bound trains where such tendencies were observed in previous years.

“Rooftop travel poses serious risks both to railway operations and passengers’ lives.” 

He said that mobile courts and vigilance teams have already been deployed at Kamalapur, Airport Railway Station and other major stations to monitor the situation and take immediate action, if necessary. 

Regarding overcrowding at stations, the railway secretary said a strengthened three-tier security system has been introduced to prevent ticketless passengers from entering stations, which often creates difficulties for genuine ticket holders.

He added that the government has allowed 25 per cent standing tickets considering the huge Eid travel demand, which exceeds the railway’s carrying capacity during peak travel days. 

To maintain order at Kamalapur Railway Station, additional police forces have been deployed in coordination with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Fahimul said, adding that security measures were also strengthened to prevent snatching and other crimes around the stations.