Passengers gather at Dhaka metro stations at first light

The urban rail services opened to the public on Thursday, a day after Bangladesh launched its first metro rail

People from parts of the capital Dhaka have gathered at the Agargaon rail station at dawn to board the first train of the day.

Long queues of passengers stretched past the Agargaon passport office, as they waited for the metro station to open at 8 am on Thursday.

Bangladesh rolled out its first metro rail services on Wednesday in an effort to ease commuting in Dhaka, one of the world’s most crowded cities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina flagged off the first urban electric train at Uttara North Station and became the first passenger on the maiden trip to Agargaon.

The urban rail services opened to the public on Thursday.

The crowd at the Agargaon station was a mix of commuters and those who wanted to take a joyride.

Kamrul Islam, who arrived just after 5 am, was the first person in the queue for a train. He sought a two-hour break from work to enjoy the experience of using the metro rail.

Tahmina, who came to Dhaka from Dinajpur, wanted to go to a doctor's appointment in Uttara by metro rail.

She has been standing in line since early morning. “I could have taken a bus, but I came to Agargaon after taking an autorickshaw from Eskaton just to be a part of history.”

Azizul Islam, a constable on duty at the Agargaon station, said he was told to open the gates at 8 am.

People began queuing up to board a metro train at the Agargaon station at 5 am. Most of them said they were there for the experience of riding the first train.

The first day of operations got off to a rocky start as customers at the Agargaon station complained of problems with purchasing tickets from vending machines.

The main entrance to the second floor also opened after a delay of half an hour due to technical issues.