Minimum fare Tk20, Uttara to Kamalapur Tk100

The metro rail authorities have fixed per kilometre passenger fare at Tk 5 while Tk 20 will be the minimum fare to travel on the Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT-6).

Besides, the fare from the capital’s Uttara to Kamalapur, the highest distance on this line, will be Tk 100.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader made the announcements during the inauguration of the Metro Rail Exhibition and Information Centre in Uttara on Tuesday.

This centre is a mock-up of the main train services where passengers can learn about the services, stations, ticketing systems, dos and don’ts about using the services, etc.

“As per the earlier announcement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Uttara-Agargaon section in in next December,” Quader said.

The minister also said wounded freedom fighters would be able to travel by metro for free.

Passengers using weekly, monthly, and family cards would be given special discounts, he added.

When asked whether students would get any discounts, the minister said no decision had yet been made in this regard.

At present, commuters in Dhaka city pay Tk 2.45 per kilometre to travel by bus. Ride sharing companies charge more than Tk 650 from Uttara to Kamalapur by car and more than Tk 350 by motorcycle. The ride sharing cost varies depending on the time of the journey and traffic situation.   

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has been implementing the metro rail project. The construction of the Uttara to Agargaon section is almost complete now, and trains will start running in December. The section from Agargaon to Motijheel is scheduled to be inaugurated in December next year.

DMTCL sources said weekly, monthly, and family cards must be purchased in advance. The cards can be recharged at machines in every station.

Passengers must use punch cards while entering a platform. Otherwise, the door will not open. The card must be used again while getting down from the train after reaching the destination.

Moreover, passengers can buy tickets at the station for a single journey, which will be like a smart card. If a passenger travels an additional distance beyond their card limit, they will not be able to open the door with the card. In that case, they will have to pay extra to on-board officials before leaving the train.

The metro rail will travel in both directions from morning till midnight initially. At the beginning, trains will run every 10 minutes and the interval will decrease gradually.

Ultimately, trains will run every three minutes and a half. Initially, 4.83 lakh passengers will be able to travel daily.

The 20.15km MRT-6 line is being built from Uttara to Motijheel at a cost of Tk 22,000 crore. The work on the Agargaon-Motijheel segment is expected to be completed by 2023.

The MRT-6 line was recently extended to Kamalapur. The metro rail is designed to carry 60,000 people per hour from Uttara to Motijheel in less than an hour.

The current overall progress of the Uttara-Agargaon segment is 94.14 per cent.