Metro rail opens for public

Long queues were seen at the Agargaon metro rail station on Thursday morning as the service was open for common people. Hundreds of people started thronging the station from early morning to travel by the metro rail.

With the launch of Uttara to Agargaon section—a stretch of over 21 kilometres MRT Line-6, Bangladesh began a new era of commuting with electricity-powered metro rail that aims to ease people’s sufferings in Dhaka, reports UNB.

The section from Agargaon to Motijheel is expected to be open a year later. A limited number of trains carrying passengers will operate from 8 am to 12 pm every day.

In the beginning, the train will not stop at all stations. The train will leave the Uttara station and stop at Pallabi, and then it will go to Agargaon without stopping.

Stopping of trains at intermediate stations will start later.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first ever metro rail service in the capital amid much enthusiasm and festivity.

She inaugurated the operation of the first phase of the project-- Uttara to Agargaon.

As the government is starting the operation on a limited scale, it will take 20 minutes to travel the 11.73-Km distance from Uttara to Agargaon, but soon it will come down to 16-17 minutes.

Bangladesh is the third country in South Asian region to have metro rail service after India and Pakistan.

Initially the train will carry 200 to 250 passengers and later it will increase to 700 to 800 passengers.

Of the 12 trains that have been kept ready for operating from Uttara to Agargaon, 10 will run regularly and two will be kept on standby for any problem.

People can purchase their tickets manually and digitally, and one person will be allowed to get a maximum of five tickets at a time.

All passengers will have to enter through the gate using a smart pass card after getting a ticket and will be able to use escalators to go to the platform on the third floor.

The minimum fare for Dhaka metro rail was fixed at Tk 20 and the maximum fare for travelling from Uttara to Motijheel at Tk 100.

In the first phase, the fare from Uttara station to Agargaon station will be Tk 60. The fare from Uttara (North) to Uttara (Central) and Uttara-South Station will be Tk 20.

Besides, from the first station Uttara North to Pallabi and Mirpur-11 stations, the fare will be Tk 30, the fare till Mirpur 10 and Kazipara stations will be Tk 40 and till Shewrapara station it will be Tk 50.