Passengers rejoice as metro rail resumes operation after a month

Metro service resumed today (25 August) after a 37-day suspension following vandalism during the students' quota reform movement. The service is set to become a Key Point Installation (KPI) to prevent future vandalism and enhance security.

The first train from Uttara North Metro Station departed at 7:10am, with another from Motijheel at 7:30am. Trains are now running regularly every 8-10 minutes.

Regular commuters from Uttara and Mirpur, especially office workers, are thrilled to have the metro rail running again after a long closure.

"I'm so relieved. It feels great to travel comfortably again," said Sohrab Hossain, a banker from Shewrapara.

"My office is near Gulistan, and I need to be there by 9 am. Before, I had to leave by 7:30 am using other transport to make it on time," he explained. "I couldn't even have a proper breakfast. Now, I can leave just half an hour before and still reach on time."

Nahid Khan, an Election Commission official from Uttara, shared similar thoughts. "It was different when we didn't have the metro rail. Now, we rely on it. Travelling from Uttara to Agargaon by other means is a struggle—it takes time, effort, and money. We're very happy the metro rail is running again," he said.

Although trains from Motijheel to Uttara are running on schedule, Kazipara and Mirpur-10 stations remain closed due to damage from arson during the student protests.

After the metro rail resumed operations yesterday, Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, advisor to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, travelled from Agargaon to the Secretariat Station.

At a press conference there, he announced that the interim government plans to designate the metro rail as a KPI to prevent vandalism and ensure its security.

"We are working to designate the metro rail as a KPI to prevent future vandalism and enhance its security," Fouzul said. "Declaring it an essential service will help protect it from disruptions like the recent ones."

He also stressed the need for public awareness to safeguard national assets and urged metro commuters to use the service responsibly.

Fouzul announced that urgent repairs will be made to Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations and that support from the Japanese ambassador will be sought for these repairs.

Regarding the launch of other metro lines, he said, "We are in discussions with the Japanese implementers and are working to open additional lines as soon as possible."

On 18 July, the metro rail service was halted at 5:30pm after a traffic police box was set on fire at Dhaka's Mirpur No 10 roundabout during student protests.

The next day, vandalism and looting occurred at the Mirpur-10 and Kazipara metro stations, leading to an indefinite suspension of the service.

Following the interim government's takeover, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus ordered the metro rail to resume on 11 August. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited initially planned to restart services on 17 August but had to delay due to a workers' strike.

The strike ended on 20 August, and the metro rail resumed service today.