The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited has announced to extend the metro rail services by one hour from Friday on pilot basis as passenger pressure is growing.聽
The company is also planning to reduce the gap time between the trains.
According to its plan, the new schedule will be regularised by December.
After implementing the new schedule, the daily on average number of passengers is expected to rise to around five lakh from the existing around four lakh daily on average.
Currently, metro train services are running on the Uttara-Motijheel section under the Mass Rapid Transit Line project-6.
From Saturdays to Thursdays the first metro train starts from the Uttara station at 7:10am and the last one starts at 9:00pm while from the Motijheel station the first metro train starts at 7:30am and the last one starts at 9:40pm.
On Fridays the first trip starts at 3:00pm and the last at 9:40pm.
Under the pilot, between Saturdays and Thursdays the first metro train will start from the Uttara station at 6:40am, 30 minutes earlier than its current starting time, while the last one will start at 9:30pm, 30 minutes later than its current schedule.
Similarly, from the Motijheel station the first metro train will start at 7:00am and the last one will start at 10:10pm.
On Fridays the first trip will start at 2:30pm and the last will start at 10:10pm.
鈥榃e will run the services by extending time on pilot basis for one or two weeks to increase our services for the passengers,鈥� said DMTCL managing director Faruque Ahmed.
He also said that they were planning to reduce the time gap between the trains but had yet to decide on the matter.
Faruque Ahmed also said that the new schedule was expected to be regularised by this December.
The DMTCL is the implementing agency of a network of 140.83 kilometre-long six MRT lines, both elevated and underground ones.
Metro rail construction work began in 2016 in Dhaka city and expected to be complete by 2030, aiming at to reduce traffic congestion and improve the environment of Dhaka city and areas around it.
The first metro rail project, the 21.26-kilometre-long MRT Line-6, which starts from Uttara and ends at Kamalapur, had its Uttara-Agargaon section inaugurated on December 28, 2022.
It was extended to Motijheel on November 4, 2023, while the construction of the rest of the line up to Kamalapur is expected to be completed by this year.
According to the project target, around five lakh passengers are expected to travel on the Uttara-Motijheel corridor daily, while around 6.5 lakh passengers are expected to use the Uttara-Kamalapur route once it is finished.
