Commuter accessibility issues to be resolved in 3 months: DMTCL

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) plans to resolve commuter accessibility issues plaguing the five out of nine metro rail stations in the Uttara-Agargaon route within the next three months.

Speaking to The Business Post, DMTCL officials said to ensure smooth passenger accessibility, footpaths adjacent to metro rail stations must have three metres of empty space. But in some areas, the adjacent footpaths are too narrow or occupied by shops and businesses.

The DMTCL will take necessary steps to remove illegal structures from these areas, and procure land if necessary to build staircases for these stations, and ensure that the footpaths have enough space for commuters.

Md Abdul Baquee Miah, additional project director (civil) of Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-6), said, “We have already finished construction of four stations with adequately wide entry-exit points, and public land was used for the required space.

“We will need three more months to resolve the land requisition issues and complete construction of the exit-entry points for the remaining stations. This will not affect the inauguration plan of Uttara-Agargaon part of the Metro Rail in December 2022.”

The overall construction progress of the Uttara-Agargaon section of MRT Line-6 currently stands at 93.76%, which is scheduled to be opened to the public on December 16.

Insiders however say the authorities concerned will try to buy private land to widen the entry-exit points, so that enough space is available for footpaths.

If the private land cannot be brought before the inauguration, the authorities will build landings on the footpath, and then expand the footpath on procured land at a later time.

The government would need to acquire wider space for the entry-exit at the Shewrapara and Kazipara stations.

A number of DMTCL officials say the current design is not spacious enough for the commuters to get in and out of the station due to space constraints outside the stations.

“We have already started the land acquisition process. We will build footpaths on the acquired land,” said Md Abdul Baquee Miah, adding, “We will be able to get wider footpaths now. At present, the majority of these footpaths are occupied.

“If we remove the illegal occupiers, we would be able to get a three-metre wide footpath without any further efforts. Engineers are working on the design to ensure the best use of footpath areas.”

The authorities concerned will acquire 1.5 to 3 meters of land for the space to fulfill the requirement.

When asked whether the planned space will be adequate for a large number of commuters, he said, “There might be a little overcrowding problem in the beginning as many city dwellers will use the metro rail just to experience the ride.

“But the number of daily passengers would eventually go down and stabilise.”