Eid passengers endure long waits, heat as trains depart late

Wednesday, the first day of Eid trips with tickets bought in advance, was uncomfortable for passengers as trains failed to arrive at Kamalapur Railway Station on time and departed late.

Passengers had to endure long waits at the station in intense heat. Many expressed their frustration, while others accepted the delays as a common occurrence during Eid travel.

The first train of the day from Kamalapur Railway Station, the Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express, was scheduled to depart at 6am but actually left the station at 7:20am. The second train, Parjatak Express, was supposed to leave the station at 6:15am but was delayed by 35 minutes.

Sylhet-bound Parabat Express was scheduled to leave at 6:30am, but it left the station at 8:30am.

The Egarosindhur Provati bound for Kishoreganj departed at 9:19am when it was supposed to do so at 7:15am.

The Chittagong-bound Karnaphuli commuter train was scheduled to leave at 8:45am, but that had yet to get to a platform so far as of the filing of the report. The Rangpur Express was scheduled to leave at 9:10am, but the train left the station around 50 minutes late.

Rangpur Express passenger Sajjad Hossain Riad said: "I will go to Kurigram, and I arrived at 8:30am. The train was scheduled to leave at 9:10am. It is now 10:15am, but the train has yet to leave the station."

At that time, he expressed his displeasure at the delay but said such occurrences were nothing new.

Station Manager Mohammad Masud Sarwar said if a train arrives late, the subsequent departures are also delayed. "This is because trains need to be cleaned and water has to be refilled upon arrival in Dhaka, a process that takes at least an hour for each train."

“Our main objective is to carry passengers safely to their destination. Trains may depart 10-20 minutes late for passenger safety,” he said.

According to a source, who declined to be named, it took more than an hour to correct coach additions of the two trains. Due to the delay of these trains, other trains were also late. 

Like Eid-ul-Fitr, necessary steps have been taken this time also to ensure that no ticketless persons can enter the platform area.