Long queues were seen at the Agargaon metro rail station on Thursday (December 29, 2022) morning as the service was opened to public a day after inauguration.
Hundreds of people started thronging the station from early morning to travel by the metro rail.
Though the metro rail service was scheduled to start at 8 am but it started its journey with passengers around 8:35 am due to technical glitch at ticket vending machines at Agargaon station.
Passengers had to purchase their tickets for metro-rail manually due to the technical fault at the machines on the first day of their journey.
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Sohel Rana, additional station controller of metro rail, said the selling of tickets at vending machines remained suspended since morning due to technical glitch and the authorities concerned are working on it. It will be repaired soon, he said.
People were seen standing in long queues since morning and the crowd spread to Agargaon passport office due to delay in purchasing tickets.
Sakibul Hasan, a passenger, who came to travel by the metro rail, said “I could not purchase my ticket from automated machines. Like me, many people have to buy their tickets manually which is the main reason behind the delay.”
Abdul Hamid, another passenger said, “My office is located at Uttara sector 11 and every day it took one and half an hours to reach my office from Mohammadpur by bus. I have come at Agargaon rail station at 8:45 am and I could not get into the metro rail till 9:45 am.”
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Atiqul Islam, marketing manager of Jong Seen International Company, said “I thought that I would be able to go to my office in time by metro rail but it did not happen.”
On Wednesday (December 28, 2022), Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first-ever metro rail service in the capital amid much enthusiasm and festivity.
She inaugurated the operation of the first phase of the project-- Uttara to Agargaon.
With the launch of Uttara to Agargaon section—a stretch of over 21 kilometers MRT Line-6, Bangladesh began a new era of commuting with electricity-powered metro rail that aims to ease people’s sufferings in Dhaka.
Also read: PM opens 1st phase of metro rail today
The section from Agargaon to Motijheel is expected to be open a year later.
A limited number of trains carrying passengers will operate from 8 am to 12 pm every day.
In the beginning, the train will not stop at all stations. The train will leave the Uttara station and stop at Pallabi, and then it will go to Agargaon without stopping.
Stopping of trains at intermediate stations will start later.
Bangladesh is the third country in South Asian region to have metro rail service after India and Pakistan.
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