Train ticket refunds in progress as services remain disrupted after protests

Bangladesh Railway has begun refunding ticket prices after trains were halted during recent student protests for government job quota reforms.

Refunds are being processed for tickets purchased from Jul 19 to Jul 26.

Online ticket buyers will receive their refunds online, while those who bought tickets from counters will get their money back at the counters.

Tickets sold in two to three days have been refunded, said Sandeep Debnath, chief executive officer of Bangladesh Railway’s ticketing partner Shohoz-Synesis-Vinsen JV.

Train services were disrupted on Jul 16 when railway tracks were obstructed in Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram, Feni, Mymensingh, and Rangpur due to protests over government job quotas.

Although train operations were somewhat normal on Jul 17, a ‘complete shutdown’ on Jul 18 halted services nationwide.

Train services have been suspended since Jul 19.

Sandeep told bdnews24.com, “We need to refund nearly Tk 400 million in total.”

“Bandwidth is limited. Downloading and uploading large files is becoming a hassle, which is slowing down the process,” he added.

The resumption of train services remains uncertain.

Although there was a decision to operate commuter trains on a limited scale for short distances starting from Thursday, it has been canceled.

Railway Secretary Humayun Kabir told bdnews24.com on Thursday afternoon that he does not see any likelihood of train services resuming within the next two to three days.

The curfew imposed from midnight last Friday remains in effect, though it is somewhat relaxed during the day.