Staff Reporter:
The Ministry of Railways and Bangladesh Railway have announced a 25 percent fare discount on train travel for senior citizens and physically challenged passengers, effective from today.
Under the new arrangement, citizens aged 65 years and above will be eligible for the concession, which will be automatically verified through National Identity Card data during online ticket purchase.
The discount will apply only to the base fare, while service charges and VAT will remain unchanged.
The concession will be available through both online and station counter ticketing systems. Passengers must be registered on Bangladesh Railway’s e-ticketing platform, including the Rail Sheba app.
Authorities have set a weekly limit for senior citizens, allowing the discounted fare to be used a maxi-mum of two times per week based on journey dates. If a ticket booked with a discount is refunded, it will not be counted in the weekly usage limit, and eligibility will be restored within the same week.
For persons with disabilities, holders of the “Subarna” identity card issued under the Ministry of Social Welfare will continue to receive a 50 percent discount on total fares in Sulov or Shovon class of inter-city trains, or Shovon Chair class where applicable. In addition, a new 25 percent discount will also be introduced for all air-conditioned classes.
At present, the concession for disabled passengers will be available only through station counter ticket-ing. The authorities said coordination with the Ministry of Social Welfare will be strengthened in future to enable online ticketing facilities for eligible passengers.
However, regular fares will apply to accompanying persons travelling with disabled passengers.
The government is also considering introducing a 25 percent fare discount for students on short-distance commuter trains after implementing a unified student identity card system.
Officials said the measures are aimed at making railway transport more accessible, inclusive and passen-ger-friendly.
