February 28, 2025
DHAKA – Rafiqur Rahman of Bondor Upazila, Narayanganj, began searching online for Cox’s Bazar-Dhaka train tickets around 3:00am on the day of his departure. It was his last attempt before opting for a bus.
He was fortunate to secure four tickets for his family, though they were not in the same compartment. “I knew I might get tickets early in the morning when some passengers refund theirs. I was lucky to get four,” he said at Cox’s Bazar Railway Station.
“I managed to buy four tickets 10 days before our journey to Cox’s Bazar but couldn’t get return tickets when I tried again two days later. It’s strange how tickets for the Cox’s Bazar-Dhaka route vanish within minutes of going online, even though they are released for the next 10 days. I believe a syndicate buys these tickets and resells them at higher prices,” he said last Friday.
“When we travelled to Cox’s Bazar by train two days ago, the ticket examiner didn’t check our ID cards, which should be mandatory to uphold the railway’s slogan ‘The ticket belongs to the traveller.’ If people can travel with tickets booked under someone else’s name, black marketing will never stop,” he added.
Despite several measures introduced by Bangladesh Railway, including making 100 percent of tickets available online, black marketing persists due to a lack of verification.
Tickets for the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route, introduced in December 2023, remain in high demand and sell out within an hour of release. This high demand fuels ticket black marketing.
Shahidul Islam, a travel ticket examiner of Cox’s Bazar Express, said, “We can’t check tickets against passenger names due to resistance from travellers. However, sometimes we verify and fine passengers if the ticket is found under another name.”
ABM Kamruzzaman, divisional railway manager of Chattogram, said tickets sell out quickly due to high demand. “We initially implemented ID verification but had to withdraw it due to passenger opposition. If enforced, ticket sales would be ensured to real passengers. Public awareness is crucial to stop black marketing.”
Al Amin, a passenger from Tongi, was travelling to Dhaka with his wife and four-year-old child. “I couldn’t get regular compartment tickets but managed to find two seats in an extra compartment by paying 30 percent more,” he said, expressing frustration over the ticket scarcity.
Golam Rabbani, station master of Cox’s Bazar Railway Station, said passengers confirm tickets using an OTP code sent to their mobile. A SIM is automatically banned if it is used to buy more than 80 tickets in a month. These measures help genuine passengers to some extent, but verifying ticket holders by name remains difficult.
He added that trains on the Cox’s Bazar route run with 20 to 22 bogies due to high demand.
Kalimullah, secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, Cox’s Bazar chapter, questioned how Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar train tickets could sell out within five minutes. “Cross-checking passenger names must be enforced to stop black marketing,” he said.