Dhaka metro-rail company has extended the MRT operation time by an hour for the last 15 days of holy Ramadan.
Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) MAN Siddique announced the decision at a press conference on Sunday.
According to the new schedule, the last train from Motijheel will leave the station around 9:40 pm while it will from Uttara station at 9:20 pm, he said while speaking at a press conference at Iskatan.
The MD, however, said as all station ticket counters will be closed at 7:50pm, only MRT Pass or Rapid Pass holders with adequate balance can avail the MRTs after 8pm during the period.
According to the revised schedule from the first day of Ramadan to 15 Ramadan, mass rapid transit line 6 (MRT 6) will be running from Uttara North to Motijheel every 10 minutes during 7:10am-7:30am.
The time span will be reduced to eight minutes from 7:31am to 11:36am and from 2:01pm to 8:00pm. The MRT will be operated every 12 minutes from 11:37am to 2:00pm.
Trains from Motijheel to Uttara North will be available every 10 minutes from 7:30am to 8:00am.
Trains will be available every eight minutes from 8:01am to 12:08pm, and every eight minutes from 2:41pm to 8:40pm from the same side.
The same side passenger will also get trains every 12 minutes from 12:09pm to 2:40pm.
The MRT will remain closed on the Eid day.
Regarding the iftar timing, Mr Siddique said passengers will be allowed 250ml bottles before and after the iftar time with personal belonging.
No food will be allowed inside the train and empty bottle must be thrown to bin.
The DMTCL latest data show that MRT 6 gets 290,000 passengers on rail daily with a train carrying 1632 passenger on an average.
The MD further said daily earning from MRT reaches Tk 15 million which is half of the desirable target to come to break even.
Around 52 per cent passengers now use MRT/Rapid pass to avail the metro rail service.
smunima@yahoo.com