The metro rail authorities are planning to extend operations from six to 12 hours between Uttara and Agargaon stations. These services are currently running from 8am to 2pm.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) has discussed the matter with different stakeholders, insiders said, adding that proposals have been put forward to make the services available from 8am to 8pm.
MAN Siddique, managing director of the DMTCL, told the media on Saturday that they have plans to run the metro rail till night by next July.
“A new schedule may be finalised Sunday. The extension of schedule is linked to the availability of passengers and the presence of the law enforcers,” he said.
DMTCL sources say according to a proposal, the authorities are mulling dividing the operation hours into four slots. The first three hours – from 8am to 11am – have been marked as peak hours and trains will be available every ten minutes.
From 11am to 3pm, trains will be available every 15 minutes as it is marked as off-peak hours. From 3pm to 6pm, the second peak hours, trains will run on a 10-minute gap, and during the second off-peak slot – from 6pm to 8pm – on a 15-minute gap.
One of the proposals recommended implementing the new schedule from the third week of the current month, the sources said, adding that the proposal suggested shifting the weekly day off from Tuesday to Friday.
According to the DMTCL, the rail operation to Motijheel may start by the end of 2024, and Kamalapur by 2025. On December 28, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's first-ever elevated metro rail, setting a milestone in the country's communication history.
