Today, 28 December, is a joyous day for all Bangladeshis. Bangladesh has entered the modern transport system of metro rail. It is known as Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated it at 11:00 am. A modern air-conditioned train will run on this 11.73 km long route from the following day of the inauguration. It will operate from Agargaon to Kamalapur in the next phase. On 26 June 2016, the construction of MRT Line-6 started.
According to the plan, train will run every three and a half minutes. But initially it will run at a 10-minute interval. Passengers will have to wait for 10 minutes on the platform of Diabari and Agargaon stations for boarding and alighting. Metro rail will stop for just 30 seconds at the station after it goes fully operational next March or April.
According to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), extra time will be given initially for passengers to become accustomed. The fare from Diabari to Agargaon is Tk 60. Although the maximum capacity is 2,308 passengers, initially each train will run with 100 to 350 passengers. There will be trailer coaches on both side of the metro rail's six-coach trains from where the drivers will operate the train. Each trailer coach has a capacity of 374 passengers.
The metro train will operate on electricity. Diabari and Motijheel substations of metro rail will have direct electricity connection from the national grid. There will also be alternative connections. Generator will be used for power supply in case of power outage. The train management module will be in the first and last compartments of the train. The train will run without turning. The drivers will have little role in running the train as it will operate through software.
According to data from Bangladesh Institute of Development Research (BIDS), traffic congestion costs 2.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) annually amounted to Tk 870 billion. The under-construction MRT-6 line from Diabari to Kamalapur will reduce congestion by 9 per cent. Metro rail is one of the mega projects being implemented by the incumbent government.
Since the Padma Bridge was inaugurated on 25 June, the communication between the southern region and other parts of the country has become easier and affordable. It is expected that the traffic congestion and sufferings of people in Dhaka city will be reduced to a great extent as metro rail starts operation.
The minimum fare of metro rail has been fixed at Tk 20 while the fare of Uttara-Agargaon route is Tk 60. Public transport experts at a virtual seminar titled ‘Metro rail in the sustainable plan of capital: Perspective and way outs’ on Monday recommended reducing metro rail fare by 30 per cent to make this service more pro-people and effective. The recommendations made at the seminar organised by Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) demand consideration. We think passengers will increase if the fare is reduced and the income of the metro rail will not decrease.
Metro rail is not only a faster mode of transportation it is eco-friendly too. It will take time to get accustomed to the transport as metro rail is new in Bangladesh. As a result, the authorities themselves also must remain aware alongside making the passengers aware. It could not be warranted that this symbol of nation’s forward march suffers damage because of anyone’s negligence or mistake. Let metro rail bring speed in the public life in Dhaka.