Things were becoming harder day by day. So, in a way, I was forced to discontinue these projects.

Background of the Projects

Around June 2024, I started working on these Bangladesh Railway-related projects. At that time, the existing websites were in a very early stage. They could only be used from a computer terminal. I kept them as terminal-based projects for about six months.

Later, I felt that the problems I tried to solve through these projects were the same problems people face regularly. So, I decided to slowly convert the terminal-based projects into websites, so that anyone could use them anytime from mobile or computer.

From November 2024 to May 2025, I completed organizing all the websites. Among them, the Seat Matrix website became very popular among the public. During that time, I was studying in the CSE Department at Jagannath University. Even during semester exams and classes, I continued working on these projects. After that, until October 2025, I regularly tried to add new features based on user feedback and brought the projects to a stable condition.

Why the Projects Were Discontinued

On 9 October 2025, Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen JV added Cloudflare verification for the first time on the login page of the Bangladesh Railway e-ticketing platform. In all three of my websites, users could view detailed seat information without giving any personal data. But due to this new system, that access method stopped working. However, within 17 hours, I managed to make all three websites active again using an alternative method.

It is worth mentioning that, to reduce pressure on the websites, I developed an Android app on 28 September within just one day. Through this app, users could perform similar tasks directly from their phones. Neither the websites nor the app collect or store any user data. For full transparency, all source codes were open from the beginning and are still available.

However, from 12 October, Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen JV again made some changes to the e-ticketing platform. Now, if a user sends more than 30 requests within a short time, the system automatically blocks that user for 5 minutes. On average, viewing the data for one train from the websites or app requires around 50-60 requests. So, the 30-request limit has practically made the entire system non-functional. In addition, if a user repeatedly attempts to send such requests, the server blocks their account for 15 days. Considering the possibility of users getting temporarily blocked, I didn't want anyone to face issues because of my project. After considering everything, I decided to permanently close all my railway-related projects.

However, I sincerely appreciate this initiative. If this new step taken by Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen JV helps to curb ticket black-marketing, even to some extent, it will indeed be a praiseworthy move. Because one thing that strongly influenced my decision to close these projects was a serious misuse I discovered at the final stage. Some railway staff responsible for managing the coaches and a few online ticketing agents who book tickets for people were using these websites unfairly for their own benefit. When I realised this, I felt it was necessary to shut down the projects, even for the sake of public interest.

Will the Projects Return?

In one word, NO. At least not as long as Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen JV is handling ticket management. Rather, I hope that Shohoz-Synesis-Vincen JV will further improve the quality of their services and be more helpful to the users. Besides, I was a student back then, so I could manage time for these works. In the future, that might not be possible. Most importantly, I have already moved my life away from the technology field. So, it is quite unlikely that I will work on similar projects again anytime soon.

What I Gained from These Projects

Honestly, through these projects I learned how REST APIs actually work. I also got hands-on experience with many tools and technologies that I might not have learned otherwise.

From a personal point of view, I always try to do something, even small, that can help others. That's what gives me satisfaction. Towards the end, some of you might have noticed that I added ads to the websites. The purpose was to raise a small amount of money to publish the Android app on the Play Store. But I earned only $0.07 (around 9 BDT) from it.

During this one and a half year journey, I was never involved in any financial transactions related to these projects. So, there was no personal gain. What I did gain was the love and appreciation from users. Though there were some negative comments, the positive ones were far more and truly inspiring.

Future of the Projects

All project source codes have been archived. Anyone can study or use them in their own way. Maybe someone more skilled than me will one day bring these projects back in a new form; I sincerely hope that happens.

If you would like to share any feedback, you can fill out the Google Form or email me directly. Wishing everyone good health and happiness. I, Nishat Mahmud, take my leave. Stay well, everyone. Allah Hafez.