Metro rail trains will operate for an additional hour starting from Wednesday, which marks the 16th of Ramadan, reports Daily Sun.
MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), announced during a press briefing on Tuesday that the last train departing from Motijheel will be at 9:40 pm, while the final train from Uttara North will leave at 9 pm.
During this extended period, trains will run at intervals of 12 minutes, resulting in an addition of 10 trips to the current schedule.
Ticket counters will close at 8:50 pm, and only passengers with MRT and Rapid passes will have access to metro services thereafter. Presently, the metro rail runs until 8:00 pm from Uttara and 8:40 pm from Motijheel.
DMTCL sources revealed that before Ramadan, an average of 2.75 lakh passengers traveled daily over a period of 15 days. However, since Ramadan began, this number has decreased to an average of 2.35 lakh passengers per day.
Metro Rail officials anticipate an increase in passenger volume during the latter half of Ramadan.
The extension of operating hours is expected to bring passenger numbers back to pre-Ramadan levels or potentially surpass them.
If the surge in passengers persists after Eid, measures may be implemented to enhance the frequency of train services.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
