Metro rail: Commuters want longer service hrs in Dhaka

The metro rail in Malaysian capital Kulalampur operates from 6:00 am to 12:00 am. 

In many cities of the western countries, this mass transport runs throughout the night. However, the metro rail in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, stops operating earlier.

The first train of metro rail service in Dhaka leaves Uttara at 7:10 am and the last train leaving that station at night is scheduled at 9:00 pm.

Meanwhile, the first train leaves Motijheel station at 7:30 am and the last train leaves this station at 9:40 pm. The last train leaving Motijheel station at night reaches Uttara North Station at 10:20 pm.

It has been noticed that there are a number of commuters on the streets of Dhaka even after the last train has left. They then have to move in rickety buses or take an auto-rickshaw spending more money. Some also travel long distances in battery-powered rickshaws even with the fear of mugging.

Basically the traffic congestion and the crowd of passengers reduces after 11:00 pm. Some of the passengers say that the metro rail should be operated at least till 11:30 pm. People would benefit from this.

A woman working at an outlet of a well-known brand of the country in Panthapath area of the city said she lives in Pallabi area of Mirpur. She commented that her commuting has become easier after the launching of the metro rail service. Though it is a bit costly, she travels safely by metro rail.

However, often it gets late in closing down the outlet after setting the transaction records straight at night. On such nights she doesn’t have the time left to catch the metro rail.

This woman said that it’s difficult to get on the train from Karwan Bazar station at night. It would have been really convenient if the metro rail hours were extended a little more.

Metro rail is a popular public transport in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. According to MRT.COM.MY, the official website of the company operating rail services in the country, the metro rail there starts operating at 6:00 am. The trains run at four-minute intervals during peak hours and at seven-minute intervals during off-peak hours.

Bangladeshi immigrant Mohammad Ershadul Karim, an associate professor of law and emerging technology at the University of Malaya in Malaysia, has been living in Kuala Lumpur.

He told Prothom Alo that people in Malaysia usually wake up very early in the morning. That’s why they also go to sleep early. Most of the streets there become empty after 9:00 pm.

He commented that a higher number of people can avail the service as the metro rail runs till 12:00 am there.

Metro rail was introduced in India’s New Delhi back in 2002. The number of metro rail lines in this city currently stands at 12. Delhi metro transports nearly 8 million (80 lakh) passengers daily. The metro rail in Delhi starts operation at 5:00 am and continues till 11:30 pm.

In another key city of India, Mumbai, the metro rail runs the same hours from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm. However, the metro rail in the Indian city of Kolkata runs from 7:00 am to 10:30 pm. There are four metro rail lines and the trains stop at about 50 stations in this city. Work is underway to expand their network even further.

In mega cities including New York in the United States, the metro rail operates 24 hours a day. The London metro or Tube runs nonstop on weekends while on weekdays it runs from dawn to midnight. The Berlin metro rail in Germany runs 24 hours a day.

Among European cities, Paris has a huge number of metro rail passengers. The metro rail in this city starts operating at 5:30 am and closes after 1:00 am. The metro rail there runs even longer hours on weekends.

In Tokyo, Japan, the metro rail operation starts at 5:00 am and continues till midnight. In Bangkok of Thailand, the metro rail service starts at 5:30 am and closes at midnight. The metro rail in Beijing of China runs from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm. The Chinese people also wake up at dawn and go to sleep early.  

This schedule of metro rail hours were found on the websites of the company operating metro rail services in respective cities.

According to the website of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the organisation that operates metro rail services in Dhaka, the metro rail here operates for about 15 hours a day on weekdays and on Saturdays.

Meanwhile on Friday, it operates for a total of 6 hours and 40 minutes starting from 3:00 pm till 9:40 pm. Only those owning metro passes can ride the first and last trains. There are no single ride tickets sold for those two trips.

The metro rail launched in Dhaka in December 2022. It used to operate for only four hours in the beginning. The route was also limited, between Uttara and Agargaon stations. The metro rail movement then expanded till Motijheel in phases with the operation time also increased gradually.

Currently, the train runs with eight minutes headway time during the peak hours and at the interval of 10 minutes during off-peak hours. The gap in the schedules of two trains is even wider on weekends.

The metro rail project proposal had stated that this public transport will provide service from 6:00 am till before 12:00 am. But even after two years and four months of its launch, the metro rail did not start operating according to the proposed schedule.

Sources involved with metro rail operation say that the metro rail line stretched from Uttara to Motijheel is the busiest route in Dhaka. So, this route was prioritised while taking up the project.

The impact metro rail has had is clearly visible. Though the fare is quite high compared to buses, a huge number of people are commuting by metro rail every day. About 400,000 (4 lakh) people use metro rail daily.

Metro rail authorities say that while the project was taken up it was claimed that the metro rail will run every three and a half minutes during peak hours. It was predicted that demand will be created by 2035. But even before the metro rail is running to its full capacity, there are already more passengers than the targeted number.

It was stated that if the metro rail is operational up to Uttara, 500,000 (5 lakh) passengers will be travelling daily and its maximum capacity reaches up to transporting 675,000 (6.75 lakh) passengers. As the passenger demand has increased, it is possible to reach closer to full capacity right now if the metro rail is operated in full-fledged.

There are 24 sets of trains with six coaches in every set for the metro rail service. There is no crisis of trains or coaches. However, the authority usually mentions a shortage of staff to operate metro rail till 11:30 pm.

DMTCL stated that they have a workforce structure of 1,024 people at present. Still there has been no recruitment in more than 450 of these posts. However the staff has become more skilled from different training and operation experience. So, the service can be extended with the existing staff after all.

The metro rail operates 234 times a day here. This number can be increased very easily. Apart from that, the deadline for the last trip can also be extended. If wanted, it is possible to operate more trains for longer hours easily by having the existing staff work a bit of overtime.

When asked, DMTCL managing director Faruque Ahmed told Prothom Alo that they are actively considering the matter of increasing the number of trains and extending the operation time at night.

However, they do have a bit of shortage in the crew involved with operating the trains. The process of recruiting new staff is underway. Training of the crew is being emphasised as well. There might be some positive decisions coming soon, he said.

The metro rail in Dhaka, stretched from Uttara to Kamalapur via Motijheel is being constructed at a cost of Tk 334.72 billion (Tk 33,472 crore). The total length of the route is a little over 21 kilometers. Construction work of the section between Motijheel and Kamalapur is ongoing. The portion is supposed to be in operation by the end of this year.

Five more metro rail lines are supposed to be constructed by 2030. Currently the work on two new lines is in the initial stage. There is uncertainty about how many metro rail lines can actually be opened by 2030. However, the Uttara-Motijheel route became popular immediately after its launch.

Experts say that the more this public transport, built at a huge cost with public tax money, is used, the more useful it will be.

When asked, research director at non-government research organisation Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Khondaker Golam Moazzem told Prothom Alo that the metro rail is a public service. It is necessary to move away from the government office concept and be passenger-friendly in its operation.

The metro rail has to be operated for longer hours by hiring manpower if necessary. In a populous city like Dhaka, there is the scope to operate the metro rail for longer hours, he added.