Staff Reporter:
Thousands of homebound people left Dhaka through Kamalapur Railway Station on Wednesday to celebrate Eid with their families despite adverse weather conditions, creating heavy passenger pressure at the country’s main railway terminal.
Passengers, particularly those travelling to northern districts, faced overcrowding on trains, while many complained about transport disruptions and seat shortages.
Several passengers said they failed to get their allocated seats despite purchasing tickets, while others could not board trains due to excessive crowds. Some passengers also travelled on train rooftops, risking their safety to reach their destinations.
According to railway authorities, 18 trains departed from Kamalapur Railway Station by 10:00am. Among them, the Nilsagar Express left nearly three hours behind schedule.
Railways Director General Afzal Hossain told media that adverse weather conditions forced trains to move slowly, while passenger boarding and disembarkation under safety measures also increased operational time.
He expressed hope that passenger pressure would ease after noon.
Regarding rooftop travel, he said railway authorities were trying to control the practice, but heavy passenger volume and efforts to avoid disorder made it difficult in many cases to remove passengers from train roofs.
