Residents of Dhaka are now reaping the full benefits of the country's first metro rail, extending from Uttara to Motijheel, with the recent extension of operation hours into the night, resulting in a surge of commuters relying on this efficient mode of transportation for swift travel.
As the number of passengers continues to escalate, especially during office hours and holidays, boarding the metro rail has become a daunting task due to overcrowding.
While the advent of the metro rail has alleviated the commuting woes for many, it has also given rise to some new challenges.
Foremost among these is the demand for an extra number of coaches to accommodate the surging number of passengers.
During peak hours, every train is full of passengers from the beginning at Uttara or Motijheel stations. As a result, passengers at certain stations face challenges securing seats on the train.
In some instances, the trains arrive at a station fully occupied. The authorities then request the passengers to board the next train by announcing over the microphone from the platform.
So commuters have urged authorities to increase the frequency to every 5 minutes, especially during office hours.
During peak hours, typically from 7am to 11:30am and 4:10pm to 8pm, trains are scheduled to run every 10 minutes.
Nayon, a passenger from Mirpur Kazipara, called for an increase in the number of trains during office hours.
“Many people board from Uttara in the morning and from Motijheel in the evening. During these office hours it is difficult for the passengers staying at the intermediate stations to board the train.
Stressing the necessity of additional coaches to alleviate congestion, “Getting up from Kazipara in the morning is difficult to find a place. Mirpur train is full of people from 10-11.
Md Abdur Rauf, Company Secretary (Joint Secretary) of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), acknowledged the issue and said efforts are ongoing to address the passengers’ concerns.
He revealed plans to conduct a survey to assess the feasibility of reducing the time between metro rail services.
20,000 MRT passes in 3 days
Abdur Rauf disclosed that in the past three days, around 20,000 MRT passes were purchased by passengers, attributing the increased crowding to new users opting for single tickets.
Since the inauguration on Saturday, it became evident that the general public is choosing metro rail travel to circumvent the hassles of traffic congestion.
The overwhelming number of passengers has led to prolonged waiting times for ticket purchases. That is why many people are opting for MRT passes.
Passengers get a 10% discount on the fare if they travel by metro rail using the MRT pass. Besides, there will be no hassle of standing in line to collect tickets every time.
Schedule fail issue
Another issue pointed out by passengers is the recurrent issue of trains failing to adhere to their scheduled arrival times.
Several passengers have voiced their concerns, citing instances where trains arrived late by two to 10 minutes, exacerbating delays that have become more pronounced with the burgeoning ridership.
Notably, some trains have been seen stopping at platforms after 5 minutes instead of the scheduled 10 minutes during these peak hours. Additionally, passengers contend that the trains are consistently packed, leaving those at intermediate stations struggling to secure a seat.
Saifullah Shahid, a resident of Mirpur-10, said: “My office is in Motijheel. Some of my office colleagues are also from Agargaon Farmgate. No complaints about metro rail service. It is normal that the crowd will increase.”
Despite the convenience of the MRT Rapid Pass for daily commuting, he emphasized the need for prompt resolution of the schedule irregularities.
When asked about metro rail schedule failure, Abdur Rauf said that each train calculates the weight of its passengers and auto brakes at each station accordingly.
“If there is a technical issue with a message in this system signal it stops before or after the doors that are available to enter the train at the station. Then it has to be manually set to the correct position. It takes two or three minutes. We have had meetings with our contractors and others to address this. This problem will be solved soon,” he said.
Also due to excess passengers there is a problem with the opening and closing of train doors, which adds to delay in movement, Abdur Rauf said.
In addition to these, he said that DMTCL is working on other areas that need to be addressed.
The metro rail official said: “A new system has been launched. People are not used to it. We also have to constantly work on new issues. We will find a solution.”