The authorities have received instructions to start the metro rail of the capital Dhaka. Metrorail will start running with passengers from next Saturday (August 17). Before that, various aspects of the metro rail system are being tested.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for the construction and management of metro rail in Dhaka.
MAN Chiddik, managing director of the organization, said that it may take a maximum of seven days for the metro rail to run with passengers. But there is a possibility that it will be launched even earlier.
He said, after completing some security related procedures, the metro rail movement will start with passengers.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport sources, Sunday afternoon, the chief advisor Dr. The secretaries met with Muhammad Yunus. In this, when the secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport ABM Amin Ullah Nuri raised the issue of metro rail movement, the chief advisor gave instructions to start it quickly. Metrorail will start running with passengers next Saturday.
According to DMTCL sources, all-out preparations for re-opening of Metrorail have started. As a first step, today the concerned have checked the entire metro rail route on foot. Security matters will be examined tomorrow, Monday. Blank trains may start operating next Tuesday. Metrorail will run for a few days without passengers. After that, the movement with passengers will start. Because there is a separate police for Metrorail. After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the police have not yet joined the work in full swing. The presence of the police must also be confirmed before starting the movement with passengers.
Even if the metro rail starts running with passengers, it will not stop at Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations. These two stations were vandalized during the agitation. DMTCL sources said that passengers will be able to board and alight at the remaining 14 stations from Uttara to Motijheel.
On July 18, when the police box was set on fire at Mirpur-10 roundabout, the authorities stopped the movement of the metro rail at 5 pm that day. The next day, Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations were vandalized.
Officials of DMTCL said that there is no problem in running metro rail between Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations. Because Metrorail’s lines, coaches, signaling and power systems and central control systems are all intact. Due to the change of government, the former Minister of Road Transport Obaidul Quader has gone into hiding. As a result, the authorities did not get any instructions about running the metro rail. That instruction was received on Sunday.
Ever since its launch, Metrorail has been known as a popular public transport. Before the closure, the last Metrorail train from Motijheel left at 9:40 PM. And the last train from Uttara North to Motijheel would leave at 9 pm. Metrorail runs about 200 times a day. About three lakh passengers travel.