Inadequate number of trains and over-priced tickets of the black market have made the once pleasant journey by train nightmarish to the passengers of Jamalpur-Mymensingh route.
Sources in Jamalpur Train Station said currently there are four inter-city trains in operation on the Dhaka-Jamalpur route with 720 seats, against which, every day around 2,500 tickets are sold.
A widespread allegation came from the regular passengers that despite repeated pleas for introducing two more trains on the route, the problem had remained unaddressed.
Different organisations have been waging movements in this regard, said the locals.
Because of inadequate number of trains, passengers of the Jamalpur-Mymensingh-Dhaka route face undue nuisance while availing tickets from the black market.
“We do not get tickets despite standing in queues for hours, however, those same tickets are sold by the scalpers at a price two to three times higher than the usual,” said one passenger of the Dhaka-Jamalpur route.
An organised syndicate of black marketeers had been reportedly active in at these stations.
Although recently one assistant station master was arrested for black ticket sale, the central circle was still out of the reach of law enforcers. As a result sale of black ticket was going on unabated, said Jamalpur Railway Station Master Zohurul Islam
Not only while travelling, the passengers have to face a hard time while waiting for trains at the platform as well, most part of which are occupied by illegal shops.
Seeing no other way, the passengers wait in the congested platform and finally after reaching inside the train they start a suffocating journey amid passengers thrice more than the train's capacity.
Admitting the existing anomalies, Station Master Zohurul Islam said there was no substitute of introducing two more inter-city trains to mitigate the sufferings of passengers and oust the black market.
The situation had been acknowledged to the higher authorities, he added.
