Repeated suspension of metro rail services for hours on the Uttara-Motijheel route in the capital following technical glitch in the signalling system and pressure of passengers caused huge suffering to the passengers on Saturday.
The operation of the service on the entire route was suspended twice and on the Uttara-Pallabi section for once on the day.
Passengers were seen waiting at different stations as arrival of the trains delayed.聽
The service on the Motijheel-Pallabi section became normal at around 2:00pm and became normal on the entire route at 6:47pm, said officials of the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited.
The company is the implementing agency of the 20.1 kilometres long Mass Rapid Transit line-6 project, popularly known as metro rail, the first ever elevated, fully air-conditioned and electricity-run rail system in the country.
DMTCL managing director Mohammad Abdur Rouf told 抖阴精品 that the service was entirely closed for around 15 minutes from 9:15am when the automated train door did not close owing to passenger pressure at the Shewapara station.
鈥榃e shut that train and again switched it on which took time,鈥� he continued.
Rouf said that at 1:36pm the operation of the entire service was halted as the signalling system faced technical problems at the Uttara North station.
The service resumed after 40 minutes on the Motijheel-Pallabi section shortly after which the operation resumed on the Uttara-Pallabi section too, he further said.
Soon after resuming the service at the Uttara-Pallabi section it was shut again due to the same problem, the managing director said at 5:15pm, adding, 鈥榳e are trying to resume the service on the Uttara-Pallabi section.鈥�
The MRT Line-6 project鈥檚 deputy director for public relations Md Ahsan Ullah Sharifi confirmed that the service resumed on the entire route at 6:47pm.聽聽
The repeated disruption made the passengers confused while they were found waiting at different stations. Some in hurry were forced to take buses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles at the time.
Commuters took to Facebook to write about their suffering on the day.
Metro rail services faced frequent disruptions in 2024 too.
Most recently on September 18 the service was partially suspended a bearing pad fell off the superstructure.
Technical glitches disrupted the services on July 7, May 25, March 19, February 17 and February 4.
The service was disrupted also on May 27 for Cyclone Remal, on March 31 for a thunderstorm and falling plastic litter on the overhead catenary, and on February 14 for a stray kite falling on the power cable.
In 2023, the metro rail services remained suspended three times on August 7, 9 and 21 mainly due to technical glitches and operational reasons.
The metro rail for the first time was opened to the public on the Uttara鈥揂gargaon section on December 28, 2022. It was then extended till Motijheel and the section was launched on November 4, 2023.
