Commuters in Dhaka are set to get extended metrorail service hours starting Sunday, with the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) preparing to operate trains one hour longer each day.
From next month, the number of metro trips will also increase, reducing the interval between trains by at least two minutes.
According to DMTCL sources, the authority decided last month to extend operating hours and increase the number of daily trips. A trial run began on 25 September. DMTCL finalised the one-hour service extension during a meeting on Tuesday.
DMTCL managing director Faruque Ahmed told Prothom Alo that the expansion was part of a phased service improvement plan.
“We are running extensive tests. From Sunday, we aim to run metro trains one hour longer each day. Increasing the number of trips will require further trial runs, but we expect to do so by mid-November,” he added.
We are running extensive tests. From Sunday, we aim to run metro trains one hour longer each day. Increasing the number of trips will require further trial runs, but we expect to do so by mid-November.DMTCL managing director Faruque Ahmed
Currently, around 450,000 passengers use the metro daily. Once the extended hours and additional trips begin, that figure is expected to exceed 500,000, according to company projections.
Under the new schedule, the first train from Uttara North will depart at 6:40 am instead of 7:10 am; and, the last train from Uttara North will leave at 9:30 pm instead of 9:00 pm.
From Motijheel, the first train will depart at 7:00 am instead of 7:30 am, and the last one at 10:10 pm instead of 9:40 pm.
On Fridays, operations will also begin half an hour earlier—at 2:30 pm instead of 3:00 pm and continue half an hour longer at night.
DMTCL currently operates 24 train sets, each with six coaches. Twelve sets are in regular operation, but with extended hours, up to 19 sets will be used continuously.
By mid-November, the train intervals (headways) will be reduced from 6, 8, and 10 minutes to 4, 6, and 8 minutes, depending on peak-hour demand. That will increase the number of daily trips from the current 238 and significantly shorten passenger waiting times.
By mid-November, the train intervals (headways) will be reduced from 6, 8, and 10 minutes to 4, 6, and 8 minutes, depending on peak-hour demand. That will increase the number of daily trips from the current 238 and significantly shorten passenger waiting times.
Bangladesh’s first metrorail was launched on 28 December 2022, initially running between Uttara and Agargaon. Passenger operations extended to Motijheel by the end of 2023. Construction toward Kamalapur is currently under way.
The metrorail project, approved in 2012 with a cost of Tk 21,985 crore (219.85 billion), now stands at Tk 33,472 crore (334.72 billion), financed partly by a Tk 19,718 crore (197.18 billion) loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Regular commuter Arshadul Haque, a travel agency executive, welcomed the move, saying, “In a city choked by traffic, extending metro service hours and adding more trips will make a real difference for daily passengers.”