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Published : 24 Aug 2024, 01:16 PM
Dhaka’s metro rail is set to resume service on Sunday after over a month of suspension.
Ten trains ran on the line on Saturday in preparation for the reopening.
The metro rail will be running again according to the old schedule, but the Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations will still remain closed.
Md Zakaria, additional director of the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, confirmed the matter on Saturday.
“We have run 10 trains so far since the morning,” he said on Saturday afternoon. “We were able to have them operate as they did at the regular time. However, no passengers were taken on board. The metro rail will be operating according to the old schedule from tomorrow.”
The metro rail was attacked, vandalised, and torched on Jul 18 amid the protests calling for reforms to the quota system for government jobs. The following day, there were attacks on the Kazipara and Mirpur-10 stations as well as the Pallabi and Mirpur-11 stations.
Dhaka’s first metro rail service has been suspended since then.
Efforts to resume metro rail service gained momentum after the Awami League government fell in the face of a mass movement and the interim government took power.
On Aug 11, officials involved in running the metro rail said that, before service was resumed, it would be scrutinised and a week of testing would be done starting on Monday or Tuesday. An order was given to resume service from Aug 17.
However, as the technical tests were not done in time, the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Limited pushed back the date.
On Aug 18, M Fouzul Kabir Khan, the road transport and bridges advisor, said the metro rail would resume service in seven days.
Metro rail service has been suspended at various times due to a number of issues, however, this was the first closure due to vandalism.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Uttara to Agargaon section of the line on Dec 28, 2022. On Nov 4 the following year, she inaugurated the Agargaon to Motijheel section.
On the final day of 2023, all 16 stations on the route from Uttara to Motijheel were opened. Construction work is still ongoing on the section from Motijheel to Kamalapur.
