Metro Malfunction Mars Evening Commute in Dhaka Again

Dhaka’s popular mass transit system, the metro rail, faced yet another mechanical glitch on Wednesday, May 28, disrupting the evening commute for many passengers. According to sources at the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), a southbound train en route to Motijheel from Uttara came to a halt at Farmgate at 6:45 PM due to a mechanical failure.

This is not the first time the metro rail has faced such disruptions. On March 24, a similar mechanical issue left a train stranded between Kazipara and Mirpur-10 stations for 27 minutes, halting services from 3:40 PM to 4:07 PM. Operations resumed at 4:08 PM. Earlier, on February 4, a signal system failure at both the Uttara and Motijheel ends caused a service suspension lasting 20 to 25 minutes. On February 17, services were interrupted for nearly an hour due to another mechanical problem.

A notable incident from the previous year occurred on February 22, 2023, when a train stalled twice—once before reaching the Shewrapara station and again near Kazipara. Though operations resumed within 8 to 10 minutes, the repeated interruptions raised concerns about reliability.

In Wednesday's incident, the train remained immobile at Farmgate for approximately 20 minutes with passengers waiting inside. Eventually, the driver resolved the issue, and the train resumed its journey toward Motijheel. During this time, metro stations were reported to be overcrowded, and passengers inside the train were tightly packed, with no standing space available.

Frustrated by the delay, many passengers expressed their dissatisfaction. The DMTCL source noted that the day’s passenger load was unusually high due to a political rally organized by the BNP’s youth wing in Nayapaltan. “Passenger pressure increased since morning and surged further in the evening after the rally concluded,” the official said.

In a press release issued in the evening, DMTCL confirmed that metro services had been temporarily suspended due to a technical fault. “Metro rail services have now resumed,” the statement read. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our valued passengers. We are grateful for their patience and cooperation during this unexpected situation.”