The metro rail has extended its operation hours by one hour from Sunday, with trains now running half an hour earlier in the morning and half an hour later at night.
According to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the first metro trip will now begin at 6:30 am instead of 7:10 am, while the last trip will depart at 10:10 pm instead of 9:40 pm.
On Fridays, the weekly holiday, metro services will start at 2:30 pm instead of 3:00 pm.
DMTCL announced the decision to extend the operation hours last Wednesday, and the new schedule took effect today (Sunday).
Besides the extended hours, DMTCL said it plans to increase the number of daily trips within a month.
Currently, more than 400,000 passengers commute daily on the Uttara-Motijheel route, which operates with 24 train sets—each comprising six coaches. Of these, 12 sets are currently in service throughout the day.
Once the number of trips is increased, 19 sets will be operated simultaneously, which is expected to raise the daily passenger count to over 500,000, according to DMTCL estimates.