Hundreds of people were standing in long queues at Agargaon and Uttara metro rail stations from 6am on Thursday -- braving the biting cold -- to experience the country's first electric trains on the very first day.
The rush increased as the fog started to clear. The authorities began operations at 8am, and people from all walks of life with joyous expressions and excitement rushed into the stations to collect one-time tickets and MRT pass cards.
Among the first-day passengers were many elderly persons, some in wheelchairs. They could use lifts to board the trains on the second floor at the stations.
However, several vending machines faltered at Agargaon and Uttara stations, causing the passengers to stand in long queues again, this time at the ticket counters. Scouts were seen at the stations trying to assist them.
Throughout the day, social media was flooded with photos and videos of the stations and outside from inside the trailer cars as many enthusiastic passengers wanted to make their journey memorable.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) officials said ten trains operated between Uttara (Diabari) and Agargaon on the first day. “We've maintained the train schedule strictly as per our plan.
“Passengers have faced several problems while booking tickets. We are reviewing these issues. On the first day, there were more enthusiastic people than regular travelers,” DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique told Bangla Tribune.
The government also prepared 20 double-decker buses of the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) to carry passengers from Agargaon station to Motijheel.
The bus service has been introduced so that passengers do not face any difficulty getting public transport from Agargaon. During a visit to the Agargaon metro rail station, it was found that 10 BRTC buses were waiting to carry passengers.
Although the buses are old, they have been washed and prepared for the journey. The fare of buses with 75 seats has been fixed at a maximum of Tk30 (Motijheel) and a minimum of Tk10.
It takes around 20 minutes to travel the 11.73km distance from Uttara to Agargaon, but soon it will come down to 16-17 minutes. The trains also did not stop at all nine stations. They will leave Uttara north station, stop at Pallabi, and then go to Agargaon without stopping. The stopping of trains at intermediate stations will start later.
Initially, the trains will carry 200 to 250 passengers and later 700 to 800 passengers.
MRT pass cards
The metro rail passengers will be able to buy MRT pass cards from 3pm to 9pm on Friday, BSS reported.
The MRT pass cards will be available at the counters of Uttara North and Agargaon stations, according to a press release issued by Sheikh Walid Faez, senior information officer of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, on Thursday.
Each passenger will have to pay Tk500 (Tk200 for the card and Tk300 as fare) at the counters and submit an MRT pass registry form to get a pass card.
The registry form is available at the DMTCL (http://www.dmtcl.gov.bd).
Safe for women
Women passengers considered metro rail safer than other public transports, especially buses, they said after traveling on the trains on Thursday.
The presence of women passengers was visible at the metro rail stations that left Agargaon station for Uttara on Thursday morning. Each train has six trailer cars, and one of those is reserved for women.
Some female passengers were hopeful that they would not have to face incidents of sexual harassment and other forms of abuse because of the security arrangements at the stations and the trains.
Passenger fined
Dhaka Commerce College honors third-year student Imran Hossain Noman was fined Tk100 on the first day as he lost his single journey card while traveling from Uttara North Station to Agargaon.
"I started traveling by buying a ticket for a single journey. But at the end of the trip, I realized I had lost my ticket. When I tried to leave the station without showing my ticket, I got stuck.
“The MRT officials fined me Tk100, of which Tk60 was for the ticket price and Tk40 for the card,” he told Bangla Tribune.
Iftekhar Hossain, general manager (operation) of DMTCL, said: "This fine is justifiable. If a ticket is lost, a passenger will be treated as illegal.”
Officials said there is no problem if an MRT pass card is lost. New cards can be taken as many times as a passenger wants for Tk200. The recharged money can also be refunded.
Moreover, a passenger can stay at the station for two hours after buying a single ticket. A fine will be imposed if they stay longer than that.
The DMTCL MD said: “The first day was a habit-forming day. Our challenges were to understand demand and how people will use MRT passes or single passes.”