Metro rail to stop at Pallabi station from 25 Jan

Dhaka Metro Rail will stop at Pallabi station for 10 minutes from 25 January, said MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), a government-owned company responsible for operating Dhaka Metro Rail in the capital.

The authorities have made some changes regarding stoppage, schedule, and the number of passengers of each train based on the performance of metro rail for the first 10 days, he said at a press briefing arranged at the DMTCL conference room on Monday. 

Siddique added that a set of metro trains with a capacity of 2,308 passengers currently carry 200 ones on each trip. The bar regarding the number of passengers will be liberalised.

Presently, the metro rail runs from Uttara North to Agargaon without any stop in between since it was launched on 29 December last year. Pallabi will be the third operating station. The train will stop at all the nine stations after it is fully operational from 26 March.

Currently, the service is available from 8am to 12pm, which DMTCL wants to reschedule to 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Siddique also said that the schedule has been revised to make it more convenient for the office-going passengers. Entry gates of stations will open thirty minutes before the train starts as tickets for a single journey are sold more. Entry gates will be closed at 12:30pm.

The managing director further said that the physical works of extension of the metro rail began on 7 January to expand metro service up to Kamlapur by 2025. The works are progressing in line with the goal of operating metro rail from Uttara to Motijheel by December this year.

MAN Siddique also said that the physical works of MRT line-1 – the first underground metro rail from the Airport to Kamalapur with a link from Natunbazar to Purbachal – will start in the last week of this month.

"The Prime Minister's Office has asked the DMTCL to make a tentative schedule for inauguration in the last week of January," said Siddique.

Analysing the performance of metro rail, he said that around 90,000 passengers travelled by metro rail till 8 January, which generated revenue of Tk88 lakh, including the amount used from MRT pass.

Regarding challenges in the operation of metro rail in the first 10 days, he said around 7,000 passengers availed of MRT pass so far. Single journey tickets have been sold more as it has generated enthusiasm and curiosity among people. It was challenging to issue 83,000 single-journey tickets in 10 days.

He further said that DMTCL is accelerating the preparation of transit-oriented development (ToD) hubs and station plazas to generate some non-fare revenue to manage operating costs.

In urban planning, transit-oriented development is a type of urban development that maximises the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport.

"We need around Tk1,000 crore to operate metro rail, including depreciation cost and loan repayment payment with interest per year. We have to generate revenue worth Tk3 crore per day and travelling of five lakh passengers per day can ensure it," he said.