Bangladesh is to enter the age of advanced mass transit as the country’s first Metrorail starts operations from 16 December this year. All the coaches of this electronically run train will be completely air-conditioned. The Metrorail fare has also been more or less determined.
According to the proposed fares, it will take Tk 90 to travel by Metrorail from Uttara to Motijheel. The lowest fare will be Tk 20, allowing a passenger to travel two stations at the most. Even if the passenger travels a distance of just one station, the fare will still be Tk 20. The project officials said that the commute between Uttara and Motijheel will be 35 minutes.
According to sources, a seven-member committee headed by the CEO of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has initially fixed these rates. These proposed fares were finalised at a meeting held on 19 April. The committee will shortly submit these proposed rates to the transport ministry. After that, this will be sent to the prime minister Sheikh Hasina for final approval. The tickets will be finalised with the software input based on these rates. There will be system in place for Metrorail passengers to pay their fare online.
The state-owned Dhaka Mass Transport Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for the construction and operation of the Metrorail. The government plans to construct five Metrorail in the country by 2030. The one running from Uttara to Motijheel has been named Line-6.
Bangladesh is to enter the age of advanced mass transit as the country’s first Metrorail starts operations from 16 December this year. All the coaches of this electronically run train will be completely air-conditioned. The Metrorail fare has also been more or less determined.
According to the proposed fares, it will take Tk 90 to travel by Metrorail from Uttara to Motijheel. The lowest fare will be Tk 20, allowing a passenger to travel two stations at the most. Even if the passenger travels a distance of just one station, the fare will still be Tk 20. The project officials said that the commute between Uttara and Motijheel will be 35 minutes.
According to sources, a seven-member committee headed by the CEO of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has initially fixed these rates. These proposed fares were finalised at a meeting held on 19 April. The committee will shortly submit these proposed rates to the transport ministry. After that, this will be sent to the prime minister Sheikh Hasina for final approval. The tickets will be finalised with the software input based on these rates. There will be system in place for Metrorail passengers to pay their fare online.
The state-owned Dhaka Mass Transport Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for the construction and operation of the Metrorail. The government plans to construct five Metrorail in the country by 2030. The one running from Uttara to Motijheel has been named Line-6.
The distance from Uttara to Motijheel is 20.1km and has 16 stations along the way. Once the train begins operations, there are plans to start BRTC bus service at the Uttara and Agargaon stations for the convenience of the passengers. Then the passengers will easily be able to go to the station and will also be able to avail a bus when they arrive. The Metrorail authorities have reached a preliminary understanding with BRTC in this regard.
Japanese consultant firm Nippon Koei (NKDM) was involved in fixing the fare rate, sources said. Construction costs of Metrorail are not being taken into consideration in determining the fare. The authorities have calculated the fare based on everyday operational costs.
The head of the committee to fix the fare and additional secretary of the road transport ministry, Nilima Akhter, said they are in the final phases of preparing the proposed rates for the fare. The fare is being proposed based on the Metrorail operational costs and public affordability. The costs of the prevailing public transport in Dhaka as well as the Metrorail fare of other countries have also been examined.
Fare from one station to another
According to sources, initially the proposal has been to fix the Metrorail fare at the rate of around Tk 4 per km. Later the fare was determined on the basis of kilometres and stations. The fare for the commute from Uttara to Motijheel is based on per kilometre. This amounts to Tk 90 and that has been proposed.
A passenger will have to pay a minimum fare of Tk 20 and can travel two stations at the most with this fare. From then on, Tk 10 will be added per station. Other than the three stations in Uttara, the distance between each station is 1km or less. That means the fare comes to around Tk 10 per km.
DMTCL sources say, broadly speaking, three large areas of expenditure have The fare of large buses in the capital presently is Tk 2.15 per km. Minibus fare is Tk 2.05. The lowest fare in large buses is Tk 10 and in minibuses Tk 8. The distance from Azampur in Uttara to Bangladesh Bank in Motijheel via Mohakhali, Farmgate and Shahbagh, is 19.8km. According to government calculations, this fare should be Tk 42 in big buses for this distance, but the transport owners and workers charge much more. The government does not fix the far of air-conditioned buses. The fare on these buses ranges from a minimum Tk 60 up till Tk 100.In neighbouring India the Metrorail has around 700km of tracks. Its lowest fare is 5 rupees and highest 60 rupees. In Delhi the lowest fare is 10 rupees and highest 60. The lowest fare in Kolkata is 5 rupees and highest 25.
