Bangladesh Railway has decided to operate trains at half of their capacities from January 15 (Saturday) in an effort to ensure social distancing during train journeys as Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the country. The Bangladesh Railway also brought some changes in issuing and booking tickets. Read:Harsh restrictions back in Bangladesh as Covid situation worsens The changes are: · Issuance of tickets for inter-city trains at half of their capacities for ensuring social distancing · 25% tickets of the total seats will be issued from ticket counters while the rest 25% through online · Issuance of standing tickets from platforms will remain suspended · All the existing quotas for railway staff except the emergency ones will remain suspended until further notice · Ensuring the use of masks by all passengers while issuing tickets and travelling · Catering services and supplying of bedding services will continue subject to following health guidelines strictly. Read: Covid cases in Bangladesh mark a sharp rise by 115% in one week: DGHS On Monday, the government has imposed restrictions on public movement and other activities like operating public transport at their half capacities amid the growing concern over the new Omicron variant of Coronavirus. The Cabinet Division issued the notification on Monday which will take effect on January 13 and will remain in force until further notice.

Commuters on Tuesday staged demonstrations at Joydebpur rail station in Gazipur for an hour to press home their 10-point demand, halting train communications of the district with the northern region.  

From now on, the residents of Sandwip and Sitakunda will not need to travel to Chattogram Railway Station to catch Dhaka-bound trains.