Starting Wednesday, commuters can use the Dhaka metro rail for six hours every day from 8am to 2pm.
Earlier, the operating hours of the Dhaka metro rail was 8:30am to 12:30pm.
Considering commuters' demand and aiming to provide more services, the timing has been changed, said MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), at a press conference on March 30.
Passengers at Agargaon, Kazipara and Shewrapara stations told Dhaka Tribune the metro rail has been very useful in helping them avoid traffic and reach their destinations in a short time.
The longer the trains operate, the better it will be for everyone, they added.
Nurunnahar, who was at the Agargaon station, said the extended timing will be very convenient in the month of Ramadan.
A man in his 30s, who did not give his name, said the metro rail is very important for office- and school-goers.
Meanwhile, a sexagenarian said it was once difficult for him to go to his daughter's home in Mirpur because of transport issues, but he can visit his daughter easily now thanks to the metro rail.
All stations on the Uttara-Agargaon route will be operational this month, Siddique said.
The Dhaka metro rail will start operating in full swing in July and then the trains will run non-stop from dawn to midnight, he added.
According to DMTCL, trips to Motijheel may start by the end of 2024 and Kamalapur by 2025. By December 2024, the metro rail will start operation from Agargaon to Kamalapur with 24 trains.
On December 28, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's first elevated metro rail, setting a milestone in the country's transport sector.
