Bangladesh Railway commenced the sale of advance tickets for intercity trains for the fifth day on Thursday.
Tickets for April 7 have already been sold out, with around 45,000 tickets snapped up nationwide from 8am to 6pm. The railway website received a staggering 16 million hits during this period.
A source from Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen-JV, the ticketing subsidiary of Bangladesh Railway, confirmed the figures in the evening.
During the 10-hour window from 8am to 6pm, a total of 44,952 tickets were sold nationwide, including 27,900 tickets from Dhaka alone.
The website recorded 8.25 million hits for purchasing tickets for trains in the Western region since 8am, while 7.45 million hits were registered for tickets in the Eastern zone within just half an hour from 2pm.
The sale of advance tickets for Eid travel began last Sunday and will continue until March 30. The last day for ticket sales will be April 9.
During a press conference held on March 13, it was announced that eight pairs of special trains would operate during Eid. Advance tickets for all intercity trains in the Western region will be available online in the morning, while tickets for trains in the Eastern region will be available online from 2pm.
A total of 33,500 advance tickets for intercity trains will be sold daily, all exclusively online. Standing tickets equivalent to one-fourth of the total seats will be available in non-AC compartments. The sale of return train tickets will commence on April 3, with tickets for April 13 being available on that day.
Tickets can be purchased through the Bangladesh Railway website (https://eticket.railwaz.gov.bd) and mobile app.
