Syed Shemul Parvez :
The ‘dream’ of Metro Rail may be materialized launched in December this year. There is no end to the curiosity of the people of the capital about the fare. Finally, the initial fare of Metro Rail has been fixed by the Dhaka Vehicle Coordinating Authority (DTCA). A seven-member committee headed by the company’s chief executive officer has fixed the fare.
According to the decision of DTCA, a passenger has to pay a minimum fare of TK 20 for boarding a Meto Rail. The total length of metro rail in the capital is 20.10 kilometers. If one wants to travel all the way by Metro Rail, he has to pay a maximum fare of taka 90.
However, the fare rate of DTCA is not final. A committee headed by the company’s chief executive officer will submit the rental proposal to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. The fare will then be sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for final approval. It will be fixed as per the decision of the Prime Minister.
Nilima Akhtar, Executive Director (Additional Secretary) of the Dhaka Transport Coordinating Authority, told the media, “The fare has not been made final, it has been proposed.
A minimum of Tk 20 and a maximum of Tk 90 are being offered for boarding the Metrorail. I will say – it is much less comparing to ride by an AC bus. Moreover it, just a proposal. The proposal will be presented to the Prime Minister. It will be effective if she gives final approval.
It is proposed considering the cost of electricity, manpower allowance and maintenance cost of coaches and other installations. Besides, it is being done by thinking about the overall issues including the purchasing power of the people. It has been done by combining the overall issues including considering the capacity of the people, operating cost and financial capacity.
In this issue, Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Mass Transport Company Limited (DMTCL) MAN Siddique was phoned but could not be reached.
Stainless steel body trains will have vertical sheets. Each train will have two wheelchairs. Each air-conditioned bogie will have four doors on each side. Each train with Japanese standard safety system will have a passenger capacity of 1,738. There will be smart card ticketing system for paying fare.
In Metro Rail, 24 trains will be able to carry 60,000 passengers per hour on up and down routes. Half of the coaches have already arrived from Japan.
Initially, a fare of around tk 4 per km was proposed for Metro Rail. Metro Rail will have two types of tickets. One is a permanent card. By recharging this card, you can travel for the whole year or month. You have to pay tk 200 to buy this card. After that you can recharge from 200 to tk 10 thousand. Besides, the card can be recharged through online transactions. Another card is temporary, which will be given on each ride.
Work on the country’s first metro rail construction project is moving fast to free the city dwellers from intolerable traffic jams. Work on the 11.73 km section from Diabari in Uttara to Agargaon is almost complete. It will be inaugurated in December this year. Remaining work of the project is underway.
