Metrorail: Operating hours being extended, trains will arrive more frequently

Dhaka metrorail service will soon start earlier in the morning and run later into the night to meet growing passenger demand.

The operating hours will be extended by 30 minutes both at the beginning and end of the day, while the interval between trains will also be reduced by nearly two minutes.

Under the new schedule, trains during peak hours will arrive at every 4 minutes 15 seconds, down from the current minimum of 6 minutes. In off-peak periods, intervals of 8 to 10 minutes will also be shortened by two minutes.

The new system will be introduced in two weeks’ time, following trial runs starting next Friday. Even during the trial period, trains will carry passengers. That means there will be no empty test runs.

Sources at the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which is responsible for constructing and operating the metrorail, said that with the changes, the service will be operating much closer to full capacity.

At present, an average of 420,000 passengers use the metrorail daily, with the highest daily ridership recorded at 456,746 on 6 August.

The authority expects the number to cross 500,000 once the new system is implemented.

When the project was first conceived, daily ridership from Uttara to Motijheel was projected at 500,000, rising to 677,000 once extended to Kamalapur.

DMTCL managing director Faruque Ahmed told Prothom Alo that they had long been considering extending service hours and increasing train frequency to meet passenger demand. Earlier this could not be done due to shortages.

Stating that they are ready now, he further said, “The new schedule will increase both passenger numbers and revenue, while reducing waiting times and easing pressure on the roads.”

Currently, the first train departs Uttara at 7:10 am from Saturday to Thursday. Under the revised schedule, it will depart at 6:40 am. The last train now leaves Uttara at 9:00 pm, but this will be extended to 9:30 pm.

From Motijheel, the first train currently departs at 7:30 am; under the new system it will leave at 7:00 am. The last train now departs Motijheel at 9:40 pm, but will depart at 10:10 pm. Currently, the last train reaches Uttara North after 10:00 pm, but in the new schedule, the last passengers will alight around 10:45 pm.

On Fridays, operations now start at 3:00 pm. Under the new schedule, trains will begin running from 2:30 pm, with services extended by 30 minutes at night.

In the metro rail timetable, peak hours and off-peak hours have been divided into several segments. In addition, on Saturdays and other public holidays, the timing of peak and off-peak hours varies.

At present, the minimum interval between trains is six minutes. Once the new schedule comes into effect, during peak hours trains will run at intervals as short as four minutes and fifteen seconds. Beyond that, the slots where trains currently operate every eight or 10 minutes will also be reduced by two minutes.

When the metro rail project was originally undertaken, it was stated that during peak hours trains would operate at intervals of no more than three and a half minutes.

According to DMTCL sources, Metro Rail Line-6 (Uttara to Motijheel) has 24 trainsets, though only 13 are in constant use. Three are kept ready for emergencies, one is used without passengers each morning to check the track and signalling, and seven remain idle.

With the new schedule, 20 trainsets will be used daily, reducing idle capacity.

Currently, 237 trips are made daily. With reduced headway times, this number will rise further.

DMTCL authorities were working for a long time to reduce the number of idle trainsets.

Initially, the authorities considered lengthening trains by adding coaches, but this proved technically complex and would have required new investment. Instead, they opted to extend service hours and reduce headways, which required additional staff. Since taking office, the interim government has approved new recruitment and training, enabling the changes.

Bangladesh’s first metro rail began operation on 28 December 2022, running from Uttara to Agargaon. Stations were gradually opened, with full operations up to Motijheel beginning on the last day of 2023. Construction is ongoing to extend the line to Kamalapur.

When approved in 2012, the project’s estimated cost was Tk 219.85 billion (21,985 crore). The figure has since risen to Tk 334.72 billion (33,472 crore), with JICA providing Tk 197.18 billion (19,718 crore) in loans.