Metro Rail: All stations functional from Dec 31

All 16 stations of Dhaka Metro Rail are set to become functional from December 31 as the two remaining stations — Kawran Bazar and Shahbagh — will open their doors on the last day of the year for passengers.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the agency responsible for the implementation of the country’s first metro line known as MRT Line 6, made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday.

DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique said that the run time between Agargaon to Motijheel will be the same as before — from 7:10am to 11:30pm. However, all exits and entries at the Karwan Bazar station will not be open from Sunday.

He said that all entries and exits at Karwan Bazar have not been finished yet. “Besides, a lift at Shahbagh Station will take some time to complete. We will also construct a ramp for the patients of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital. We are attempting to connect the walkway with the foot-over bridge at Farmgate Station as well.”

“After completing all tasks, we will start operating trains in this section [Agargaon-Motijheel] till 8:30pm, along with the Uttara-Agargaon timing, within three months,” he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Agargaon-Motijheel section on November 4 with three functional stations — Farmgate, Secretariat and Motijheel. On December 13, Dhaka University and Bijoy Sarani stations opened for the passengers.

Siddique said that the metro rail service has already gained much popularity among the citizens of the city. Per day, 1.30 lakh to 1.56 lakh passengers have taken the service.

Some 2-5 per cent of passengers are unable to board the train during peak hours due to crowding. In this regard, he urged all to obey the rules of getting on and off the train.

He said that metro rail operations were disrupted after paper lanterns released on New Year's Eve last year fell on the catenary. This year, the authorities have sent a letter to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner to take measures to stop the release of paper lanterns.

Siddique also urged citizens to not release lit paper lanterns within a one-kilometre area on both sides of the metro rail line.

The cost of the country’s first-ever metro rail project currently stands at Tk 33,472 crore. Japan International Cooperation Agency provided Tk 19,719 crore in the form of a loan to support the project, while the Bangladesh government funded the remaining amount.

In the beginning, the estimated cost of this project was about Tk 21,000 crore. The cost has increased due to the construction of an additional 1.6 km section from Motijheel to Kamalapur, the acquisition of new land for each station, and the addition of various new facilities.

The main construction work of the project started in 2017. The prime minister inaugurated the first phase from Uttara to Agargaon on December 28 last year.