Dhaka metro rail to run on Friday mornings from May

The DMTCL is also thinking of limiting the current frequency, an official says

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, or DMTCL, Managing Director Mohammad Abdur Rouf says they plan to operate the metro rail throughout on Fridays starting in May.

Speaking at a meeting with the members of the Reporters for Rail and Road, or RRR, at the metro rail depot in Dhaka's Uttara on Tuesday, he said the company is also thinking of limiting the current frequency of the metro rail, which will increase the number of daily train operations.

“We are trying to bring the frequency of the metro rail to an acceptable level by May. We are working towards that target following the chief advisor’s directive.”

The metro is currently running from 3pm onwards on Fridays.

On other days, it operates in both directions every 8 minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes during off-peak hours.

Rouf said Dhaka’s first metro rail now carries an average of 350,000 passengers daily.

The metro rail carried the highest number of passengers, about 383,000 on Monday. More than 381,000 passengers were transported on Jan 23.

The DMTCL MD said about Tk 2.44 billion has been earned by selling metro rail tickets in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Earlier, after the partial launch in 2022, the revenue was more than Tk 220 million in the fiscal year 2022-23.