3 metro stations in Mirpur closed for hours amid garment workers’ protests

Metro rail services were disrupted due to protests by garment factory workers demanding higher wages. Three stations in Mirpur remained closed for several hours. Metro services returned to normal at around 2:00 pm.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for the construction and operation of the metro rail system in Dhaka. Sources at the company said a fire had been set on the road beneath the station.

As a result, Mirpur-10 station was closed at 11:38 am. All entry and exit gates were shut, and no trains stopped at the station. However, metro services between Uttara and Motijheel continued to operate.

The gates of Kazipara station were closed at 11:48 am. Trains did not stop there either. Trains then stopped calling at Pallabi station at 12:24 pm, and its gates were closed. Passengers were unable to board or get off trains at the station.

DMTCL sources said the garment workers’ protests had turned violent. During the demonstrations, a fire was set beneath the station. At the time, metro rail police recommended that trains stop calling at stations considered to be at risk.

In response, the authorities closed the gates of the metro stations deemed vulnerable. Trains continued to run without stopping at those stations. DMTCL calls this procedure ‘skipping’ a station.

DMTCL Director (Operations and Maintenance) Md Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that trains had skipped three stations after an assessment of the risks. The stations were reopened in stages. Metro rail services returned fully to normal at 1:58 pm. All stations have reopened, and trains are stopping at every station.