Plan to extend night operating hours of Metrorail

Authorities are planning to extend the night running time of Metrorail in the capital Dhaka. The new schedule may come into effect from the end of this May or after Eid-ul-Azha, according to relevant sources.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited) said that although the Metrorail currently runs until the scheduled time at night, it is being examined to extend it by another 40 to 50 minutes. The final decision will be announced after the trial activities are completed.

According to the plan, the last train from Motijheel to Uttara can leave around 11pm. Currently, it leaves at 10:10pm. Similarly, the last train from Uttara to Motijheel is also being considered to run later.

In addition, there is a plan to reduce the gap between two trains during peak hours. Currently, the gap between trains during busy times is about 5 minutes, which may be reduced to 4.5 minutes in the new schedule.

Currently, about 297 trips are being operated throughout the day. The authorities said that if the time is extended, the number of trips will also increase.

During off-peak hours, the train interval ranges from 7 to 20 minutes. However, the schedule is adjusted according to passenger demand at different times of the day, night and day.

Regular passengers of the Metrorail say that increasing the night time will benefit passengers and reduce the crowd to some extent.

Currently, 24 sets of trains are being provided in Dhaka. There are plans to use 14 sets of trains all the time if the time is increased.

DMTCL officials said that although technically there is the capacity to run trains every three and a half minutes, the time is being increased step by step due to manpower and management.

A director of the Metrorail authority said that the Ministry of Road Transport will take the final decision on changing the schedule.

It is worth noting that the Metrorail was inaugurated in Dhaka on December 28, 2022. Initially, it was limited from Uttara to Agargaon, but later the entire route was opened up to Motijheel.