On the first day of advance Eid ticket sale yesterday, Chattogram Railway Station was full with hundreds of holidaymakers queuing at the counters since dawn.

A total of 6,000 out of 12,000 tickets for departing on August 7 were available at different counters while the rest were available through the railway’s mobile application, informed railway officials.

The sale began at 9am, but the rush of holidaymakers started around 6am and the queues grew longer as the day proceeded.

Khorshed Alam, a banker who could not go home during the last Eid-ul-Fitr, was among the very firsts to come to the station for tickets.

“Last Eid went by somehow but this time I have responsibilities like visiting the cattle market and managing everything,” he said.

His joy after getting the ticket was palpable as he called his father and said, “Abba, I got the ticket!”

Buyers were seen keeping each other’s spot in the queue and were also getting friendly with one another.

It is easier to spend time this way and is also a good chance to know different kinds of people, said Turjo, a ticket seeker at the station.   

Sharmin Rahman, a student of Chittagong University who was buying a ticket for Sylhet-bound Paharika Express, said there was no alternative to train for such a long journey, especially during festivals.

“The highway gets busier during Eid and often cattle stalls are set up beside the road. I took a bus to go home last year and suffered. Train is the only option for me now,” she said.

She got the ticket after standing in line for three hours.

Abul Kalam Azad, the station manager, said the rush of homebound people before Eid-ul-Azha has always been intense.

For hassle-free service, law-enforcement agency was deployed and help desks were set up, said the manager, adding that bringing the National ID card was a must for buying tickets.

The sale will continue till August 2 and return tickets will be available from August 5.