Advanced train tickets for the newly introduced “Cox’s Bazar Express” on the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route for December 1, and 2 were sold out within an hour after the start of sale on Thursday morning.
Train ticket sales started at 8am on Thursday from the counter and online.
All tickets for the first and second days were sold out within an hour, according to Bangladesh Railway.
Chittagong Railway Station Manager Ratan Kumar Chowdhury told the media that on the first day, three-day tickets were sold. The tickets for December 1 and 2 were sold out within an hour. Online sales are higher than counter sales.
The maiden train will leave the iconic railway station of Cox's Bazar for Dhaka on December 1.
During its journey, the train will make a five-minute stop at Dhaka Airport Station and a 20-minute break at Chittagong Station.
Apart from Dhaka, tickets have been allocated for Chittagong station as well.
Tarek Mohammad Imran, divisional commercial officer (DCO) Eastern Zone of Railways, said that the train will have two types of seats in the first phases, AC and non AC.
Out of this, the AC seat fare from Cox's Bazar to Dhaka will cost Tk1,325 including VAT and the non-AC seat fare will cost Tk695.
Sardar Shahadat Ali, additional director general (Operation) of Railways said that Cox's Bazar Express train tickets sale started on Thursday. Tickets were allocated for Chittagong.
According to the schedule given by Eastern Railways, the train will depart from Cox's Bazar Iconic Station at 12:40pm on December 1 and will reach Chittagong at 3:40pm. The train will start its journey from there at 4pm with a 20 minute break and will reach Dhaka at 9:10pm.
Similarly, it will leave Dhaka at 10:30pm and reach Chittagong at 3:40am. It will leave at 4am with a 20-minute break and reach Cox's Bazar at 6:40am.
It will take eight hours and 30 minutes to reach the destination from both directions.
However, the train will be closed weekly from Dhaka on Monday and Tuesday from Cox's Bazar.
Passengers can travel to one-way destinations on these two days.
The Railways has decided train number 813 from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar and train number 814 from Cox's Bazar to Dhaka.
Tarek Mohammad Imran said: "The fare of decorative chairs from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar has been set at Tk695. The rent of an AC chair is Tk1,325 taka, AC seat Tk1,590 and the rent of an AC bath (sleeping travel seat) is Tk2,380.
From Chittagong to Cox's Bazar, the fare for the Sovon chair is Tk205, Snigdha class Tk386, AC seat Tk466 and AC bath Tk696.
Earlier on November 11, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-awaited 102-kilometre Chittagong-Cox's Bazar dual-gauge single railway line, setting yet another milestone in the country's communication network.
The first-ever railway to connect Chittagong with Cox's Bazar has nine stations at Satkania, Lohagara, Chokoria, Dulahazra, Eidgao, Ramu, Cox's Bazar Sadar, Ukhiya, and Gumdum.
These stations have fully computer-based interlocking signal systems and a fully digitalised telecommunications network.
