The government is undertaking a series of initiatives aimed at making train ticket purchase easier, more transparent, and passenger-friendly.  According to Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Railways, Bangladesh Railway and the Ministry of Railways are working together to revamp the system, introducing changes that will also include alterations to the country's railway routes and improvements to the online ticketing process. In a special interview with UNB, Adviser Fouzul outlined various steps being taken to ensure transparency and accountability in the railway's e-ticketing system.  “We are working to simplify the ticket purchasing process and ensure passengers’ satisfaction. We aim to make ticket purchase more accessible so that people can easily buy their tickets. We expect to see benefits from these changes soon,” he said. He emphasized that passenger satisfaction with the ticket purchasing process is crucial. He pointed out that many passengers face disappointment when they cannot secure tickets to their desired destinations online. To address this issue, officials at Bangladesh Railway have been instructed to ensure that remaining tickets for nearby stations and available times are automatically displayed in search options. Furthermore, if necessary, external experts will be consulted to refine the process. In a bold move to ensure fairness, the adviser confirmed that manual reservation of tickets for government officials would be stopped. “Many ticket requests come from the railway secretary or other officials, and some tickets were often pre-booked. This practice will no longer continue. No tickets will be reserved on the request of any secretary or official. The rights of the general public must be ensured first,” the adviser added. Efforts to meet increasing demand for passenger and freight transport are also underway, with the acquisition of additional locomotives and carriages being pursued to support the introduction of extra train services. Bangladesh Railway, in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, is focused on quickly procuring the necessary resources. Addressing the issue of route rationalization, the railway adviser explained that trains currently travel on some routes with low passenger demand, while other high-demand routes remain underserved. “There are places where trains are operating without passengers, and in other places where there is a demand, there are no trains,” he said. He pointed out that routes frequently used by Bangladeshis working abroad, such as Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chattogram, would be given special attention, and arrangements would be made accordingly. Read: Benapole, Sundarbans Express trains’ routes to remain unchanged In addition to enhancing train services, the government is tackling the issue of ticket scalping. A committee, led by the Ministry’s Additional Secretary (Administration), has been formed to address this problem, alongside efforts to rationalize routes. “We are involving young people to help prevent ticket scalping. Strict actions will be taken against those involved in scalping, including railway staff. Additionally, we have plans in place to make it easier for the public to obtain tickets,” said the adviser. Adviser Fouzul was firm on the stance against corruption in ticket sales, sahing that if any scalping or lack of transparency was detected, those responsible would not be spared. “We are serious about eliminating scalping and any unfair practices in the system,” he added. On the issue of online ticketing, he revealed that Shohoz.com, the company responsible for ticket sales, has been directed to address various ongoing issues. Despite the widespread problem of online tickets being unavailable while tickets are found at inflated prices on the black market, he assured that steps were being taken to address the root cause. “The government may be criticized for not acting, but resolving these issues will take time. Over the past two and a half months, we have been working to get to the bottom of these problems,” he said. Further improvements in the online system are in progress, with instructions issued to ensure that customers can access alternative options via the Shohoz app. A high-level committee has been formed to oversee these changes and ensure their successful implementation. Read more: Benapole, Sundarbans Express trains’ routes to remain unchanged In response to concerns about trains departing late, Adviser Fouzul affirmed that the government is taking punctuality very seriously. “Passengers often face difficulties if they miss their trains due to delays. We have given clear instructions to the relevant authorities, though sometimes incidents such as line clearance issues or accidents may cause delays,” he said. He added that railway officials had been urged to act more responsibly in addressing these challenges to ensure smoother operations.  

Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan has termed the Karnaphuli Tunnel project an instance of ‘political showmanship’ and said they are working to mitigate the huge losses from this ‘unrealistic’ project. "This tunnel is an unrealistic project. It was essentially a politically-motivated project, a display for earning public attention. Other countries have tunnels underwater, why shouldn't we have one? But current realities reveal that it was grandstanding,” adviser Fouzul said in an exclusive interview with UNB recently. The tunnel, built at a cost of around Tk 10,700 crore, cannot simply be shut down or dismantled, he said, adding,“We are reviewing the reasons behind the losses and are working on ways to mitigate that.” Strategies will be worked out in coordination with relevant departments to reduce losses, he said. The adviser added that authorities are exploring options to increase traffic flow through the tunnel but any investment would be based on concrete data, not inflated projections. "We have to repay our foreign loans, so there will be no speculative studies," the adviser said. He said the tunnel under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram—Bangladesh's first underwater tunnel—failed to see its projected benefits, resulting in substantial daily losses. Criticising the previous Awami League government, he added, “They took up projects for the sake of having projects without considering national interests. This attitude has caused significant losses to the country.” Read: Reckless driving triggers multi-vehicle collision in Ctg’s Bangabandhu Tunnel He said the tunnel expenses have exceeded income significantly and vehicle flow estimates made before the tunnel’s construction have proven inaccurate, he added. There were  also flaws in the tunnel design as it was constructed with a shorter headroom of 4.9 meters which restricts the movement of heavy vehicles and fuel-carrying transport movement is prohibited due to safety concerns, thereby reducing potential traffic volume, said the Adviser. Besides, projects planned for Chattogram’s southern region and Cox's Bazar over the project were not implemented , limiting the tunnel's usage. Karnaphuli Tunnel was built at a cost of Tk 10,700 crore. The tunnel project was implemented with joint funding of the governments of Bangladesh and China (G2G). The Exim Bank of China provided a loan of Tk 5,913 crore while the Bangladesh government funded the rest. The Karnaphuli River  divides Chattogram into two parts. The tunnel being built – following the “One City, Two Towns” model like Shanghai in China – aiming to connect the port city on the north with Anwara upazila on the south. Bridge Authority’s statistics According to the reports of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, since the tunnel’s opening on October 28 last year, revenue has consistently fallen short of operational costs. In its first operational month, November, 166,312 vehicles used the tunnel, a daily average of 5,544, earning Tk 3.94 crore. However, by April this year, traffic dropped to an average of 3,855 vehicles per day. For the first 21 days of September, average daily vehicle count further dropped to 3,073, showing a downtrend. Read more: Security guard killed after being hit by truck on Bangabandhu tunnel approach road Currently, an average of Tk 11.80 lakh is being earned daily as toll from the tunnel. However, since the tunnel is constructed underground, a substantial amount of money has to be spent each day to provide artificial oxygen and lighting, along with general and emergency security measures. On average, around Tk 37.47 lakh is being spent every day to cover these operational  costs. As a result, the daily loss amount reaches over Tk 25 lakh. The Bridge Authority statistics reveal that over the past year the tunnel saw about 14.11 lakh vehicles, 76% of which were light vehicles, with only 10% buses and 12% trucks. Revenue from this vehicle flow has amounted to Tk 37.44 crore, far below projections. Construction firm estimates from 2017 anticipated that, if opened by 2020, the tunnel would handle around 20,719 vehicles daily, growing by 6.4% annually to 28,305 vehicles per day by 2025, and nearly 38,000 by 2030. However, current figures fall drastically short of these projections, with a daily average of just 4,613 vehicles as of August this year, most of which are tourist transports.