The average occupancy rate of the intercity trains is 102 per cent, shows a Bangladesh Railway report.
As per the report, in September this year, the average occupancy in the trains was 110 per cent in the railway鈥檚 west and 94 per cent in east zones.
The report also shows that the number of passengers in Shantahar, Burimari, Rajshahi, Chilahati and Panchagarh areas was the highest.
In Noakhali, Sylhet, Tarakandi, Jamalpur and Bhuapur areas the number of passengers was the lowest, on the contrary.
Bangladesh Railway prepared the report based on statistics of September this year and presented it in a meeting held at its headquarters Rail Bhaban in the capital on Tuesday chaired by railways ministry adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan.
The meeting also heard some recommendations for changing some of the routes of intercity trains.
Train tickets are usually in short supply against a huge demand.
The railway is divided in two zones鈥攖he east zone comprises the divisions of Chattogram, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Dhaka division except Faridpur and Tangail districts, while the west zone comprises Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions along with Tangail and Faridpur districts.
As per the report, in the west zone 56 intercity trains run, while the east zone has 54 intercity trains.
In September in the west zone, the highest occupancy among the trains was 118 per cent in Barendra and Titumir expresses on the Rajshahi-Chilahati-Rajshahi route and Dhalar Char Express on the Chapainawabganj-Dhalar Char- Chapainawabganj route.
The lowest occupancy among the west zone trains was 98 per cent in Banalata Express on the Chapainawabganj-Dhalar Char-Chapainawabganj route.
The highest revenue in this zone for September, Tk 4.16 crore from passenger tickets, came from Ekota Express on the Panchagarh-Dhaka-Panchagarh route. The lowest revenue, Tk 32.42 lakh came from Korotoa Express on the Shantahar-Burimari-Shantahar route.
As for the east zone trains, the highest occupancy was 109 per cent in Egarosindhur Godhuli Express on the Kishoreganj-Dhaka-Kishoreganj route. The lowest occupancy, 67 per cent was in Bijoy Express on the Chattogram-Jamalpur- Chattogram route.
The highest revenue, Tk 3.69 crore from passenger tickets, came from Cox鈥檚 Bazar Express on Dhaka-Cox鈥檚 Bazar-Dhaka route. The lowest revenue, Tk 49.55 lakh, was earned from Haor Express on the Dhaka-Mohonganj-Dhaka route.
Among recommendations placed at the meeting, one is for running Bijoy Express on the Chattogram-Mymensingh-Chattogram route, which was its earlier route, instead of its current Chattogram-Jamalpur-Chattogram route.
Another recommendation is for operating four new intercity trains on the Khulna-Kashiani-Dhaka route with the coaches of Sundarban Express on the Khulna-Dhaka-Khulna route.
Another two recommendations are for running four new intercity trains on the Benapole-Jashore-Kashiani-Dhaka route, and extending the route of Meghna Express currently run on the Chattogram-Chandpur-Chattogram route up to Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
Yet another recommendation is adding the Siranganj Express train on the Dhaka-Joydebpur-Dhaka route, while maintaining its current operation on the Sirajganj Bazar-Dhaka-Sirajganj Bazar route.
A recommendation also came to add more trains from Tangail, Joydebpur, Narsingdi, Bhairab and Brahmanbaria destinations once the ongoing works under the project titled 鈥楥onstruction of 3rd and 4th dual gauge line in Dhaka-Tongi and dual gauge double line in Dhaka-Joydevpur section of Bangladesh Railway鈥� is finished.