To meet passenger demand, the Metrorail will run even after 10pm. It will open earlier in the morning; that is, the opening and closing times in the morning and evening will be increased by half an hour. In addition, the interval between two trains will now be reduced by another two minutes. This means that trains will be available every 4.5 minutes during peak hours. Currently, trains run at a minimum interval of six minutes during peak hours.
The new system will be effective in two weeks. Trial operations will be conducted from Friday to master the new system. After two weeks of testing, the Metrorail will officially operate according to the new schedule. However, even during the trial period, passengers will be transported on trains operating during the morning and night rush hours; that is, empty trains will not be run.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for the construction and operation of the metro rail in Dhaka. Company sources said that once the new system is implemented, the metro rail will be close to full capacity utilization. Currently, an average of 420,000 passengers travel on the metro daily. Of these, the highest number of passengers was transported on August 6, 456,746. Authorities believe that the number of passengers will exceed 500,000 if the new system is implemented.
When the metro rail project was taken up, it was said that it would transport five lakh passengers daily from Uttara to Motijheel. If the metro rail is opened up to Kamalapur, the number of daily passengers is expected to increase to 677,000.
DMTCL Managing Director (MD) Faruk Ahmed told Prothom Alo on Sunday that the idea of increasing the number and timing of trains to meet passenger demand had been around for a long time, but it could not be done due to manpower shortages. Now they are ready. The metro rail will soon be running with passengers on the new schedule. This will increase both the number of passengers and income. The common man will not have to wait long for the train. The pressure on the roads will also be reduced.
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