Train tickets unavailable online in Sylhet, but allegedly available on the black market

Complaints about train tickets have surfaced again among passengers in Sylhet. It is alleged that train tickets cannot be found online, yet the same tickets are available on the black market. As a result, ordinary passengers who try to buy tickets by the rules are the ones suffering most.

The online system was introduced so passengers could buy tickets easily from home and avoid long queues at stations. But passengers in Sylhet allege that despite trying online, tickets cannot be obtained — raising questions about the effectiveness of the system.

According to passengers, tickets that are unavailable online are being found on the black market. This contrast is at the centre of the complaint: if tickets have genuinely sold out, how are they available outside, affected passengers ask.

Trains are one of the most important means of long-distance travel for people in the Sylhet region. Many depend on trains to travel to Dhaka and other destinations, so a ticket shortage directly affects their regular travel, medical trips, education and work journeys.

If the black-market allegation is true, passengers have to pay extra money, while those who cannot pay extra or do not know the syndicate are deprived of tickets. This creates inequality among passengers seeking the same service.

Affected passengers say their frustration is greater because such allegations are not new. If the same complaints recur without lasting change, trust in the online ticketing system erodes.

Passengers expect transparency in ticket distribution and online sales, along with effective monitoring and action against black-market syndicates, so that everyone can buy tickets on an equal footing.

At the time of writing, no statement from the relevant authorities on the allegation was available in the material for this report. Any official response and steps taken will be covered in a follow-up report.

Passengers in Sylhet now have one demand — ensuring that tickets are readily available online. Whether this suffering eases depends on how far that demand is met.