Metro rail: Number of trips increasing
Complications in adding extra coaches, so the number of trips is being increased to manage passenger load.
When the metro rail project was taken up, it was stated that additional coaches could be added to meet passenger demand if necessary. The station lengths were designed accordingly. However, adding new coaches has not been possible yet due to extra costs and technical difficulties. Now the frequency of trips is being increased instead.
Currently, each metro train set consists of six coaches. Two trailer coaches (housing the driver, control systems, and also carrying passengers) are positioned at either end, while four motor coaches in the middle are fully used for carrying passengers. There are 24 such train sets, though not all are in use.
Making new investments is difficult, so the focus is on increasing the number of train trips. The recruitment of new staff has been completed already. Now it will take some time to train them. The frequency of train trips will be increased within a month or two.Faruk Ahmed, managing director of DMTCL
According to the metro authorities, each train set of six-coaches can carry up to 2,300 passengers when fully loaded. If two additional coaches were added to each set, an extra thousand or so passengers could be carried without increasing fuel costs. Another option is to increase the number of train trips, but this would require more staff and fuel.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for building and operating the metro in Dhaka. According to DMTCL, over 400,000 passengers use the metro daily. On 6 August, a record 456,746 passengers travelled on the metro rail. Each train typically carries around 2,000 passengers, and officials believe transporting more passengers with the current system is nearly impossible.
Faruk Ahmed, managing director of DMTCL, told Prothom Alo, “Making new investments is difficult, so the focus is on increasing the number of train trips. The recruitment of new staff has been completed already. Now it will take some time to train them. The frequency of train trips will be increased within a month or two.”
Metro services in Dhaka began in December 2022, initially running from Uttara to Agargaon. In 2023, the then managing director of DMTCL, MAN Siddique, announced plans to eventually add two extra coaches to each train s
Each train consists of six coaches. Technical complexities in upgrading to eight coaches. Around 400,000 passengers transported daily. Seven train sets remain unused.
One year after the original launch, services extended to Motijheel, increasing passenger pressure even more. At the start of last year, DMTCL took steps to maintain speed and schedules by planning for adding two extra coaches.
According to DMTCL sources, after the new Managing Director Faruk Ahmed took charge in February this year, he brought up the issue of adding two more coaches. Then the suppliers were contacted in Japan.
However, the contractor stated that attaching two additional coaches would require a large amount of fresh investment as well as considerable time. So, the plan to increase the number of coaches was halted. However, it has been decided that all future metro lines in Dhaka will be built with eight-coach train sets.
Technical complications in adding new coaches
The metro line running from Uttara to Kamalapur is known as Line-6. It will take another one and a half to two years for the line to be fully operational up to Kamalapur, with construction ongoing on the extended section.
Project survey had anticipated that by 2030 when the passenger pressure on the metro rail has increased, six coaches would not meet passenger demand. However, the number of passengers has already increased ahead of schedule.
The metro, built at huge cost, must be used to its full capacity. Increasing passengers will increase revenue and reduce traffic congestion on street. If adding new coaches is not possible, the frequency of train trips must be increased instead.Professor Shamsul Hoque, Department of Civil Engineering, BUET
DMTCL sources say, consultants and project officials have long been saying that two extra coaches could be added to each train anytime to meet growing demand.
Currently, metro station platforms are at least 170 metres long, enough to accommodate two additional coaches. When a six-coach train stops at the platform, space remains for the extra coaches at the rear. This additional space has temporarily been blocked with steel barriers.
However, although there’s additional space on the platform, the signal system has not been adjusted yet. Platforms currently have the doors necessary for six coaches. New doors would need to be installed for extra coaches at all 17 stations. Plus, there’s a complication about making electric connections as well.
According to DMTCL sources, only 13 of the 24 train sets constantly operate on the line, while three sets are kept standby considering special needs. A test train runs without passengers each morning to check the line and signalling system are working properly. And, the remaining seven sets are unused.
When asked, Professor Shamsul Hoque, of the Department of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told Prothom Alo, “The metro, built at huge cost, must be used to its full capacity. Increasing passengers will increase revenue and reduce traffic congestion on street.”
“If adding new coaches is not possible, the frequency of train trips must be increased instead. Plus, the operating hours of the metro rail could also be extended slightly at night,” he added.