The much-hyped rapid transport service in the form of overhead electric railway service, popularly known as metro-rail, started operating from Uttara to Motijheel via Agargaon till 8.40pm from today, bringing relief in city life. The dwellers of the capital city, where nightmare traffic congestion is a common phenomenon, are now able to enjoy an advanced, fast and safe transport till night. On Thursday, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which is responsible for operating Dhaka Metro Rail, in an official notification announced that the most effective and modern commuter for city dwellers will operate on Uttara-Motijheel route from 7:10 am to 8:40 pm from Saturday (Jan 20). Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd MAN Siddique said that the first train will leave Uttara for Motijheel at 7:10am and it will continue until 8:30pm, while the last train will leave Motijheel at 8:40pm. Earlier, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 was operated from 7:30 am to 11:30 am on Uttara-Motijheel section, while it is being run from 7:10 am to 8:00 pm on Uttara-Agargaon section. "We are very much excited as we can enjoy the metro service till night from today. Earlier, I needed nearly 2 to 3 hours to reach my destination in the afternoon. Today, I will be in Uttara from Motijheel area in just half an hour," Nafis Uddin, a private service holder residing in Uttara, told this BSS correspondent. He said he used metro-rail while going to office in Motijheel but during his return journey he had to travel by bus as the metro-operations from Agargaon to Motijheel section remained stopped after 11.30am. Nafis Uddin said it is like dreams come true for them as they got the opportunity to have such an advanced and environment friendly safe transport. Biplab Mallik, a resident of Shewrapara area and an employee of a private office at Karwan Bazar area where he has to attend his work in the afternoon shift, said earlier they had to take bus to reach his office but now he will be able to use metro-rail while going office and returning home. Shamima Hossain, a student of Dhaka University and a resident of Tejgaon are, said due to safety issues, she used to attend her classes at the university by rickshaw or CNG-run auto rickshaw. "But it is very costly. Metro-rail offers a new hope as now we will be able to reach the destitution within just 5-6 minutes which was beyond our imagination once," she said. It needs only 32 minutes to reach Motijheel from Uttara North station with current 10-minute interval and stoppages at all stations which include Uttara North, Uttara Centre, Uttara South, Pallabi, Mirpur 11, Mirpur 10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sharani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Secretariat and Motijheel. MAN Siddique, Managing Director, (DMTCL) said currently 1.30 lakh to 1.50 lakh people are using the metro rail service daily, which is much higher than the estimation.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said a total of six metro-rail routes, including underground lines, will be constructed by 2030. “Fifty two percent construction work of metro-rail route-6 has already been completed. By 2030, a total of six routes, including underground routes, will be constructed,” he told a seminar at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Council Bhaban in the capital on Thursday. The seminar was on “Road Safety of Dhaka Metropolitan: Role and Initiatives of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority”. Quader joined the seminar through videoconferencing from his official residence on parliament premises. The minister asked the authorities concerned to speed up their works to implement the road safety act to lessen the road accidents. Though multilane highways are being constructed, road safety is yet to be ensured, he said. Mentioning that engineering, enforcement of solutions and awareness are related to ensuring road safety, Quader said accident research institute (ARI) has indentified 144 black-spot to remove construction flaws in highways while 121 spots have been developed to remove risk. He said works are underway to develop the risky road corridors across the country while work of upgrading around 450 kilometer highways to four-lane is also going on. Source: BSS AH