Home ›› 16 Feb 2023 ›› Front
Bangladesh Railway has introduced mandatory registration for passengers to purchase inter-city train tickets as no ticket will be sold to unregistered travellers online or at counters from March 1.
The authorities will verify tickets on board, railway officials said, adding the initiative has been taken to stop ticket sales on the black market.
Passengers have to use the national ID (NID) or passport or birth certificate for registration. They also have to provide their mobile number to register with the railway authorities. The system will verify the information through the Election Commission’s server.
The railway will preserve the database of passengers’ accounts, and passengers can buy tickets anytime using their accounts. Nobody will be allowed to journey by inter-city trains with tickets issued in someone else’s name, and the railway will run massive campaigns to spread this message.
Passengers can complete registration at ticket counters or through the railway’s mobile app or the website. The railway authorities will also open help desks at divisional and major stations to help passengers register. Registration will open today while help desks will be opened by a week.
Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan disclosed the information at a press conference at the Rail Bhaban in the capital on Wednesday in the presence of high officials.
“Allegations of selling tickets on the black market are not new. So, we have taken this initiative and will fine-tune it further. The main goal is to improve passenger service,” he said.
The railway will introduce three schemes to develop the ticketing system – purchasing tickets after registration, using point of sale (POS) machines for checking tickets on board, and giving refunds for tickets purchased online.
Initially, the authorities will start the process with 100 POS machines. Ticket checkers will be able to use those to collect fines from passengers travelling without tickets.
The railways minister admitted they have a shortage of manpower required to check tickets on board but the system will be improved gradually.
Md Humayun Kabir, secretary of the ministry, said, “We will not be able to check all tickets initially. But we want to stop the sales of tickets on the black market as well as fare dodging. This is a system to achieve that.”
How to register
A passenger has to sign up on eticket.railway.gov.bd or the Rail Sheba app with NID or birth certificate or passport. Their information will be verified, and the account will then be created. Once registered, they will use their information to buy tickets.
Registration can be done by sending a text message to 26969 after typing BR. The user will get a confirmation text in reply. During the journey, passengers will have to keep a photocopy of their NID or passport or birth certificate or valid photo ID to prove their identity.
If a passenger registers using the app, they will be able to log in with their user ID and password every time they will buy a ticket. Those registering offline will have to provide their phone or NID number to the counterman while buying tickets from counters.
For minor passengers, tickets can be purchased using their parents’ accounts. In that case, the minor’s birth certificate will have to be uploaded, and the required photocopies need to be carried during the journey. Foreign nationals will also be able to register by using their passport.
If the information in the ticket does not match with that in the documents a passenger will carry, they will be guilty of travelling without tickets and fined as well. Nobody will be allowed to buy tickets for different routes during the same journey schedule.
