Bangladesh Railway will operate four pairs of special tourist trains from Tuesday on the Chittagong–Dhaka, Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar–Dhaka, and Dhaka–Chittagong routes to manage the surge in passenger demand ahead of the Sharadiya Durga Puja.
Tickets for these trains will be available exclusively online.
The announcement was made Thursday during an exchange of views meeting at the Ministry of Railways, chaired by Railway Secretary Md Fahimul Islam. Officials were instructed to ensure smooth travel for passengers and maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, the weekly off-day of Padma Express and Madhumati Express, which run on the Rajshahi–Dhaka–Rajshahi route on September 30 and October 4, has been cancelled.
This year, the Durga Puja holidays, combined with the weekly off-day, create a continuous four-day government holiday from October 1 to 4. All government and private educational institutions across the country will remain closed from September 28 to October 8. To accommodate higher passenger traffic during the extended holiday, changes have been made to intercity train schedules.
The trains whose off-days have been cancelled will run as per their usual weekly schedules, with tickets available online. From the following week, the off-day will resume as usual.
To prevent passenger harassment and ticketless travel, mobile courts will be deployed at Dhaka Railway Station (Kamalapur) and the Airport Railway Station. Additionally, a vigilance team formed by the ministry will monitor the overall situation.
Bangladesh Railway and the Ministry of Railways have completed preparations to ensure smooth travel and maintain law and order during the holiday period.