Metro at night!

After a long wait, the Dhaka metro rail finally started running for a full day from yesterday, stretching from Uttara to Motijheel.

This brought sighs of relief to daily commuters, who had been grappling with the city's traffic congestion.

This reporter found a full house visiting several metro stations. Hundreds of commuters snaked through long queues for tickets, while others waited patiently for trains on their platforms.

At Farmgate station, Aruna Biswas, accompanied by her 11-year-old son, shared her experience, "It's quite crowded, my son can barely breathe! It was the same at the ticket counter."

"But we had to take this ride, as travelling through other vehicles would have taken much longer," she added.

This correspondent met first-time metro passenger Sabbira Easmin and her two children at Motijheel station. They couldn't contain their excitement about their journey to Mirpur 10.

"I wouldn't usually bring my sons out during rush hour, but with the metro running at night, I couldn't resist the opportunity," she said.

Tofayel Ahmed, who had been waiting at the ticketing queue with his granddaughter, said waiting 40 minutes for tickets is a bit too much. "However, it was worth the wait," he added.

Afsar Hossain, visiting the capital's Agargaon area for a doctor's appointment, echoed similar concerns at 5:00pm.

Waiting nearly an hour for a ticket for a journey lasting under 10 minutes is frustrating, he added. "The authorities should improve the ticketing system or add more booths," he added.

Maruf Adnan, a regular commuter, from Shewrapara station, had a different experience around 2:00pm. "I had to get off the train because it was so crowded, I couldn't even get in properly. It's unusual but I suppose it's because the metro is open for the entire day for the first time," he said.

The new schedule extends the metro rail's operation to 13 hours, divided into four segments to cater to commuters throughout the day.

The first train leaves Uttara North station at 7:10am, and the last train departs Motijheel at 8:40pm. Only MRT Pass and Rapid Pass holders can board the first two trains from Uttara North and the last two from Motijheel.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Uttara North-Agargaon section of the country's first metro rail in December 2022.

Later on November 4, she inaugurated the Agargaon-Motijheel section, which only ran till 11:30 am.

The construction work of metro rail's Motijheel to Kamalapur part will be completed by June next year, said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

A survey is underway to extend the Dhaka Metro Rail from Uttara to Tongi, he said, attending a programme at the DMTCL Building in Uttara's Diabari yesterday.