New rules on purchase of train tickets imposed

A new series of restrictions on the purchase of train tickets came into effect on Wednesday, barring people from using tickets bought with the national IDs or birth certificates of others.

To buy train tickets, people will have to use their national IDs or birth certificates. The information will then be sent to the Election Commission's database for verification, reports bdnews24.com.

Foreign nationals will have to use their passports to buy tickets. A person will not be allowed to board the train if they have purchased tickets using information from another.

Rail Minister Md Nurul Islam launched the initiative at Dhaka's Kamalapur Station on Wednesday morning. He also presented POS machines to mobile ticket examiners on inter-city trains who sold tickets to those without them.

"The initiative will start on the inter-city trains and slowly expand to the local trains as well," Islam said.

"Before this, you could travel with any ticket. But, according to the new rules, you can't just use any ticket. Only the person who bought the ticket can make use of it. You cannot ride the train with a ticket bought under another name. Anyone who attempts to do so will be considered to have boarded without a ticket. The passenger will be fined accordingly."

The minister said the decision was taken to stop black-market sales.

"We are working to ensure there isn't a black market for train tickets," he said. "Many people would buy up tickets and then sell them for a premium. But now, as only the person who bought the ticket can use it, there will be no opportunities for scalping."

The minister urged station officials to help ease the process for passengers from lower-income groups and help them register.

CHANGES TO TICKET PURCHASING

◘ Old accounts: If a user has an old account, they will have to log into it, provide their NID number and birth date, and send it for verification. If the information is properly entered, it will be verified.

◘ For new accounts: A new user must go to the railway website or use the app to sign up by providing the required information. They can also register by SMS. To do so, they must send a text with BR <space> NID number <space> and birth date to 26969.

RESTRICTIONS

◘ Passengers aged 12 to 18 can buy tickets using the names of their mother and father and their national ID numbers. To verify the passenger's identity, they will have to carry a copy of their birth certificate when they travel.

◘ When uploading their birth certificates, passengers between the ages of 12 and 18 can open their own accounts and purchase tickets using it.

◘ Foreign nationals must register by using their passport number and uploading a passport photo.

◘ All passengers must carry a copy of their NID, birth certificate, passport, or other photo identification.

◘ A user with an account can buy up to four tickets at once. In such cases, only the person who purchased the ticket must carry their identification.

◘ If a passenger's ticket does not match their identification, they will be considered to have travelled without a ticket and action will be taken accordingly.