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Thousands of homebound travellers have been caught in relentless tailback on the roads leaving Dhaka ahead of Eid-ul-Adha, turning their journeys into frustrating ordeals.
Since Thursday, the start of the extended holiday, heavy rain, vehicle congestion, frequent breakdowns, and damaged roads have combined to create severe delays across key highways.
Long-distance buses have repeatedly failed to reach Dhaka’s main terminals on time, leaving passengers stranded for hours, either waiting at the terminals or stuck on surrounding streets.
At the same time, the railway network is under immense pressure, with overcrowded trains struggling to meet the growing demand, intensifying the hardships faced by Eid travellers.
ROAD TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Traffic was light early in the Eid travel period but surged after Wednesday afternoon as more people began their journeys.
Congestion was reported from Savar to Chandra via Nabinagar and Baipail, as well as from Tongi to Gazipur, and then up to the Bangabandhu Bridge.
Broken-down vehicles worsened the situation. Passengers were further inconvenienced by alternating heat and rainfall. Many had their belongings soaked, including mobile phones and cash.
Women, children, and elderly people were the worst affected.
Ashiqur Rahman, a Nabil Paribahan passenger heading to Rangpur, said: “Government and garment holidays overlapped, so everyone left at once.
“Cattle markets and overloaded trucks added pressure. It’s worse than last Eid.”
Nazmul Alam, a bank officer, started from Dhaka’s Moghbazar for Tangail’s Madhupur at 9am in a rented microbus. What should have taken 3.5 hours stretched beyond 7.
He said he took a longer route to avoid traffic jams on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway.
“To avoid jams at Chandra, we took a detour via Nobinagar, Dhamrai and Kalamapur to reach Mirzapur on the highway, then bypassed Tangail through Elenga and Madhupur.
“But we got stuck in traffic from Karatia and then took small village roads to Kalihati and finally reached Madhupur,” he added.
Abdullah Al Mamun, who planned to take his family to Dinajpur, turned back home after spending hours stuck in traffic from Uttara to Gazipur. “I kept checking for updates. With kids in the car, I didn’t want to risk it. Took a U-turn at Bhogra and returned by 5pm.”
On the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway, traffic slowed to a crawl over 15km--from Masterbari in Gazipur to Bhaluka in Mymensingh.
Imam Paribahan’s driver Hatem Ali said stop-start congestion lasted the entire day.
Drivers reported jams both on departure and return routes.
Shah Fateh Ali Paribahan’s Abdul Alim said, “Anyone saying roads are fine should try the Dhaka-Tangail route.”
Due to highway jams, many buses could not reach Mohakhali terminal.
By Thursday afternoon, crowds packed the terminal, with passengers sitting on bags or on the ground as they waited.
Shakil Ahmed, waiting to travel to Netrokona, said: “Been standing here nearly three hours. They say buses are stuck, but others say they’re holding them back to hike fares.”
Razia Akhter, from Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj, waited since 2pm for a United Paribahan ticket but had no luck by 6pm. “They’ve stopped issuing tickets. Say the buses are stuck in traffic.”
United Paribahan drivers confirmed many buses were stranded while returning from Mymensingh.
Bnagladesh Bus Truck Owners Association official Subhankar Ghosh Rakesh said, “Traffic was smooth at first. But by Wednesday, jams appeared at Savar, Baipail and Chandra.
“Still, our schedules remained intact as we planned ahead.”
Russel Ahmed, a bank officer travelling to Habiganj, said the worst bottleneck came at Brahmanbaria’s Ashuganj.
“Just 5km took over two hours. That stretch is always full of potholes, repair work never seems to finish.”
Passengers heading to Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, Sylhet and nearby districts reported similar issues.
OVERCROWDED TRAINS
Eid train services began on May 31. Trains left on schedule until Wednesday but crowding increased after midday.
Security at Kamalapur Railway Station checked tickets strictly until Wednesday, but measures relaxed on Thursday.
Besides passengers with standing tickets, many without tickets boarded trains from Kamalapur, and at Airport, Tongi and Joydebpur stations.
At Tongi station on Thursday, hundreds were seen riding on train roofs and near engines on trains leaving Dhaka, mostly boarding at Airport Station.
Ariful Islam, a passenger on Ekota Express to Ishurdi in Pabna, told bdnews24.com the train left Kamalapur on time at 10:15 am but ran slowly due to boarding crowds at multiple stations. They arrived two hours late.
Ariful Islam, travelling to Pabna’s Ishurdi on the Ekota Express, said: “The train left on time at 10:15 am, but moved slowly. We reached Ishurdi two hours late.”
Arifuzzaman Sumon, another passenger, said though ticket-holders could board this time, trains still overflowed. “Each coach allows 25 per cent standing tickets, but there were 100 people standing.
“We arrived at Kamalapur hoping for space but saw outsiders getting inside and climbing on roofs. Three rounds of outsiders entering inside happened. Management failed near the end.”