C T Online Desk: A kid rides a rolling suitcase, pulled by his father through the crowd at Kamalapur railway station in the capital on Wednesday. A large number of people started leaving Dhaka by different means, including buses, trains and launches, on that day to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their family. Photo: Reaz Ahmed Sumon
Train schedules at the Kamalapur Railway Station got disrupted on Wednesday, the first day of Eid trips ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, creating immense suffering for the home-goers.
With tickets bought in advance, passengers were seen waiting for hours as almost all trains were late to depart.
During a visit to the railway station on Wednesday, it was seen that all the trains made delayed departures, forcing the home-goers to wait at the station amid intense heat.
Many expressed their frustration due to the schedule disruptions, while others accepted it as a common occurrence during Eid travel.
The Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express was scheduled to depart from the station at 6am, but it was 1 hour and 20 minutes late, leaving the station at 7:20am.
The Parjatak Express, which was scheduled to depart at 6:15am, actually left the station 35 minutes late.
Besides, the Sylhet-bound Parabat Express was slated to depart at 6:30am, but its departure was delayed by two hours, leaving the station at 8:30am.
Passengers on most other trains also faced late departures.
Rashed Hasan, a Rangpur-bound passenger, said he and other family members arrived at the station much before the scheduled departure time of the Rangpur Express, but the train did not depart the station even two hours after the schedule.
Masud Sarwar, station manager of Kamalapur Railway Station, told the media that if a train arrives at the station late, its departure consequently becomes delayed 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.
Meanwhile, with under-construction highways and an increased number of vehicles, a 13-km tailback formed on the Dhaka-Tangail highway on the Tangail side of the Bangabandhu Bridge.
The congestion had been created since Wednesday morning, and the vehicles had been moving slowly, police and transport workers said.
