No news of resuming metro service, commuters suffer like pre-MRT days
Golam Rahman works for a private firm in Motijheel and after launching of MRT Line 6, he became a regular commuter on the Mirpur-Motijheel route.
"After working all day, I used to get on a dilapidated bus from Motijheel to Mirpur and fall asleep. I would wake up after an hour and see that the bus had not even crossed Banglamotor-Karwan Bazar due to the traffic jam. It can't be explained how annoying it was then. I was relieved after the metro rail started. There was a sudden drop in travel time with the metro rail. Now, travelling by bus seems more painful than before,” he shared his frustration on Monday.
"I used to wake up at a certain time in the morning after the metro rail started. After a fresh breakfast, I went to the station and got the metro rail every 10 minutes. I could reach Motijheel within 25 minutes. There was no need to be late or deal with the hot, dusty office. But during the quota movement, some Metrorail stations were vandalised and set on fire, so passenger transport is now stopped. Passengers are forced to travel by bus," he added.
Miscreants attacked, vandalised, and set fire to metro rail stations at Mirpur-10 and Kazipara on July 18. The metro rail movement was stopped at 5:30 pm on this day. There is no guidance yet on when it will be relaunched.
On Monday (July 29), entrances to Motijheel, Press Club, Shahbagh, Karwan Bazar, and Bijoy Sarani stations were seen locked. As a result, many passengers are returning from the station areas.
Bashirul Haque boarded a Bihanga Paribahan bus from Mirpur-1o to reach Banglamotor. His sister's house is in Kanthalbagan. During the conversation, Bashirul Haque said, "After the metro rail was launched, I used to visit my sister's house often. My sister also used to visit my house by metro rail. There was no suffering during the journey. But today, after many days when I am going to my sister's house by bus, I feel very bored. It takes one hour and 20 minutes to go to Banglamotor from Mirpur. But you can reach Karwan Bazar station in 15 to 20 minutes by metro. Passengers will benefit if the metro rail is started soon."
Latif Talukdar of Bangshal went to the gate of Bangladesh Secretariat station at 11 o'clock on Monday. His destination was Uttara North Station. But seeing the station gate locked, he turned back. During the conversation, Latif said that he often has to go to Uttara for business work. "Metrorail is the best mode for this route. But now I see that the metro rail is closed. There is no word on when it will be relaunched."
Mostafizur Rahman was looking for a CNG-run autorickshaw to go to Uttara after treatment at BIRDEM Hospital in Shahbagh. He said, "In the morning, I came to Shahbagh from Uttara's Jasimuddin Road with a fare of Tk 400. Now they are asking for a fare of Tk 600 to go to Uttara. But if the metro rail was running, you could go to Uttara by paying a fare of Tk 60. There was no need to suffer from dust and traffic jams on the roads."
According to Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company (DMTCL) sources, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Uttara to Agargaon section of the metro rail on December 28, 2022. Then the Agargaon to Motijheel section was inaugurated on November 4, 2023. After the metro rail started from Uttara North station to Motijheel, 270,000 passengers used to travel every day.
When asked, MAN Siddique, the managing director of the company that operates Metrorail, told Jago News, "Metrorail has become very popular with people in a short time due to the ease of travel. However, during the quota reform movement on July 18, some Metrorail stations were vandalised. Since then, metro rail services have been suspended due to security concerns. For now, we have no target regarding the relaunch of Metrorail."
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Mozammel Haque told Jago News, calling for the speedy relaunch of Metrorail for passenger services, "Dhaka is still at a standstill due to the closure of Metrorail. The panic among people has not ended. It is important to start metro rail as soon as possible for an active Dhaka and passenger service. This will reduce the suffering of passengers."
