With Karwan Bazar and Shahbagh, all metro rail stations now open
Currently, 1.30 lakh to 1.50 lakh people commute daily via the metro
Karwan Bazar and Shahbagh, the final two stations of the Dhaka metro line 6 slated for completion – have opened today.
With this, the MRT-6 is now connecting all 16 stations between Diabari and Motijheel, according to the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd.
Sharmin Rahman, a private job holder who travels to her office in Banglamotor every morning, is relieved by the opening of the new metro rail stations.
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"Earlier, I used to get down at Farmgate station and switch to another mode of transport to reach my office. But now, I can get off at either Karwan Bazar or Shahbagh station and cover the remaining distance on foot," she added.
MAN Siddique, the managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company, at a news briefing at the company's Eskaton office in the capital on Thursday, said starting next March, the Agargaon-Motijheel train will extend its service hours and operate until night, similar to the Diabari-Agargaon section.
It now has service hours from 8am to 12:30pm.
Currently, 1.30 lakh to 1.50 lakh people commute daily via the metro.
Siddique said a letter had been sent to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, banning sky lanterns flying within a 1km radius of the metro rail on the 31st night to avoid any untoward incidents during festivities.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company started operations in the Dhaka University and Bijoy Sarani stations on 13 December.
Before that, on 4 November, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the second phase of the metro rail's Agargaon to Motijheel segment.
After the inauguration of the Agargaon-Motijheel section, the metro rail stopped at Farmgate, Secretariat, and Motijheel stations.
On the Uttara-Motijheel route, the metro runs daily from 7:30am to 11:30am.
However, two metro trains run from Uttara North at 7:10am and 7:20am for the convenience of students and professionals. Only MRT Pass and Rapid Pass holders can travel in these two trains.
After 11:30am, the metro rail movement remains stopped on the Motijheel-Agargaon route, while it is operational till 8:30pm on the Uttara-Agargaon section.
