With 2-3 days left for the Eid-ul-Fitr, nearly a million more people moved out of the capital on Sunday for their native villages to celebrate the festival with their families in villages.
Though vehicles were moving smoothly on major highways, three trains could not maintain their schedules again, causing sufferings to the holidaymakers.
Kamalapur Railway Station, major bus terminals and Sadarghat Ferry Terminal were crowded with the homebound people waiting for hours together to catch transports to reach their destinations.
Officer-in-charge of Kamalapur Government Railway Police Station Yasin Faruque said three intercity trains –- Sundarban Express, Nilsagar Express and Dhumketu Express -– left the station 2-6 hours behind their schedules.
Technical glitches and delayed return of trains from outside the capital were the main reasons behind the failure to main their schedules, he said.
Besides, the rail communications of Sylhet with other parts of the country, including the capital, were disrupted for six hours following the derailment of a train at Rashidpur Railway Station in Habiganj district around 9:30am.
Dhaka-bound Jayantika Express from Sylhet was stranded at Sreemangal Railway Station while Sylhet-bound Parabat Express from Dhaka was stuck at Sayestaganj Railway Station following the derailment.
However, the rail link was restored around 3pm after a relief train from Akhaura Railway Station rushed in and salvaged the derailed bogies, said Saiful Islam, station master of Sayestaganj Railway Station.
The usual bustling city traffic, meanwhile, has eased a bit with the exodus of Eid holidaymakers.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), around 50-60 lakh people are expected to leave the city for enjoying Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of Muslims, at their village homes.
A DMP official said over a million people were scheduled to leave the city today (Sunday).
Ashis Kumar Dey, general secretary of The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR), a non-government organisation, said 15-16 lakh people are now leaving the city by three types of route — railway, road and waterway.
Of them, 55 percent of passengers are using roads, 25 percent waterways and 20 percent railways.
Superintendent of Police (SP) of Highway (Gazipur) Md Shafiqul Islam said traffic on all the major highways was normal till the afternoon with vehicles moving smoothly.
He also said passengers’ pressure might be increased from Sunday night and it will continue till the early hours of Tuesday.
There was no report of any tailback on Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Tangail highways till filing of this report around 8pm, he said.
No major traffic chaos was reported from anywhere of the country till filing of the report around 8:30pm.
