The operating hours of Dhaka’s metro rail are set to increase by one hour from this Sunday, while the number of trips is expected to rise by the middle of next month, according to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) sources.
With the extended hours, morning services will start half an hour earlier than the current schedule, while evening operations will continue for an extra 30 minutes, reports Prothom Alo.
Specifically, the first train from Uttara North Station will depart at 6:40am instead of 7:10am, and the last train will leave at 9:30pm instead of 9pm. Similarly, from Motijheel, the first train will depart at 7am instead of 7:30am, and the last train will leave at 10:10pm instead of 9:40pm. On Fridays, service will start at 2:30pm, half an hour earlier than the current 3pm start time.
Currently, 24 train sets operate between Uttara and Motijheel, with 12 sets running continuously with passengers. DMTCL sources said that with extended hours and additional trips, 19 sets will be in continuous use. Two train sets are reserved in workshops for driver tests, and an additional set runs without passengers in the morning to test the lines.
Currently, daily metro rail ridership averages 450,000 passengers. With the increase in operating hours and trips, this number is expected to exceed 500,000. Peak-hour train intervals are six minutes, off-peak intervals are eight minutes, and super off-peak intervals are ten minutes. DMTCL plans to reduce these intervals to 4, 6, and 8 minutes, respectively, next month.