In a significant move to enhance late-night transportation options, the Dhaka Metro Rail has announced an extension of its operating hours. Starting today (March 27, 2024), the service will run an additional hour past its previous closing time, now concluding at 9:40 pm. This decision, as explained by MAN Siddique, the Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), is a direct response to the increasing public demand for extended metro service hours. The announcement was made on March 25, marking a pivotal change in the metro's schedule to accommodate the needs of late-evening commuters. Dhaka Metro Rail service hours being extended from March 27 Under the new timetable, the final train from the Motijheel station is scheduled to leave at 9:40 pm, while the last departure from the Uttara terminal will be at 9:20 pm. This adjustment will see the introduction of trains departing every 12 minutes during the newly added service hour, integrating an additional 10 trains into the daily rotation. With this extension, the total number of daily metro trips will rise from 184 to 194, reflecting the DMTCL's commitment to improving public transportation accessibility and convenience. Metro rail operating hours to be extended by one hour from 16th Ramadan Prior to this change, Dhaka Metro Rail's operation hours spanned from 7 am to 8:40 pm. The service frequency included trains running every 8 minutes during peak hours—from 7 am to 11:30 am and 2 pm to 8 pm—and every 12 minutes during off-peak periods, between 11 am and 2:30 pm. This schedule adjustment is anticipated to significantly benefit the city's metro users by providing more flexible travel options during the evening.

In a move to cater to the increasing demand for late-night transportation, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has announced the extension of metro rail service hours beyond 9 pm, starting from Wednesday, March 27. During a press briefing scheduled for tomorrow, the Managing Director of DMTCL, M. A. N Siddique, will provide detailed information regarding this significant service extension. According to sources from DMTCL, the last train from Motijheel will now depart at 9:40 pm, and from Uttara end at 9:20 pm. This extension will introduce trains running every 12 minutes during the additional service hours, adding 10 more trains to the current schedule. Read more: Metro rail operating hours to be extended by one hour from 16th Ramadan Consequently, the total number of daily trips will increase from 184 to 194. Currently, the Dhaka metro rail operates from 7 am to 8:40 pm, with trains running every 8 minutes during peak hours (7 am to 11:30 am and 2 pm to 8 pm) and every 12 minutes during off-peak hours (11 am to 2:30 pm). This expansion of metro rail service is aimed at enhancing the commuting experience for Dhaka's residents, providing a more flexible and accessible transportation option during the evening hours. Read more: HC orders probe into rent of Metro rail canteen

The exit ramp of Dhaka Elevated Expressway's Karwan Bazar section, in front of FDC, opened to traffic on Wednesday (March 20, 2024). Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader formally opened the ramp in the morning. With this, 16 ramps of the Elevated Expressway have been opened so far. On September 3 last year, the 11.5 km Airport-Farmgate stretch of Dhaka Elevated Expressway was opened to traffic and today the FDC gate ramp was opened. “This is an Eid gift from the Prime Minister for the people,” Quader said. “We will be able to fully open it by the beginning of next year. Hatirjheel ramp will be opened and progress is on following that direction,” he added. Onion prices fall by Tk30 per kg as seasonal supply rises in market Asked about the increased traffic congestion in Dhaka during the month of Ramadan, the minister said, “People go to shopping malls during Ramadan and there will be some traffic jam. However, there is no traffic jam from Uttara to Motijheel. People can easily reach their destinations.” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 2, 2023 inaugurated the Airport-Farmgate segment of Dhaka Elevated Expressway. The total length of the expressway is 19.73 km and people can enter and exit the expressway through ramps in 31 points. The project director said 72.51 percent work of the expressway has been completed and the work at Hatirjheel and Panthakunja points is underway. 2 killed in separate accidents in Sylhet and Chandpur  The Dhaka Elevated Expressway project was undertaken in 2011. On December 15, 2013, Bangladesh Bridge Authority signed a revised agreement with First Dhaka Elevated Expressway Company Limited, the investment company of the project.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday (October 10, 2023) opened the Dhaka-Bhanga railway line, a part of which runs over Padma Bridge, in laying another milestone in the country’s infrastructure development. The opening of the 82-kilometre railway track from Dhaka to Faridpur’s Bhanga upazila under “Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project” fulfills the long-cherished dream of the people of the country’s southwestern districts. Bangabandhu's youngest daughter Sheikh Rehana was present in the grand ceremony presided over by Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan. Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and local MP (Munshiganj-2) Sagufta Yasmin Emily spoke on the occasion, while Railways Secretary Dr Md Humayun Kabir delivered the welcome speech. Read more: Southwestern districts cheer as Dhaka-Bhanga rail link via Padma Bridge opens Tuesday After formal unveiling of the newly built railway line over the country’s longest bridge, the prime minister boarded a special inauguration train to travel to Bhanga, where she was greeted by thousands of jubilant people. The work on the construction of the railway line was launched by the prime minister on October 14 last year. The railway line is being constructed in three phases (plus a 3km link being built between Dhaka and Gandaria): 37km Gandaria-Mawa section, a 42km Mawa-Bhanga section, and an 87km Bhanga Junction-Jashore section. Some 43.2km of loops, siding and Y-connections bring the total track length to 215.2km. The entire railway project from Dhaka-Jashore is scheduled to be completed by June, 2024. Read more: Chinese-built Padma Bridge benefits people's livelihood, boosts transformation of economic landscape in Bangladesh There will be 20 stations from Dhaka to Jashore, of which 14 are new and 6 are already there. The previous stations are also being modernised. Once completed, trains will be able to run at a speed of 120 to 130 kilometres. There will be no railway crossing anywhere on the Dhaka-Jashore railway line as underpasses are being constructed at each level crossing all the way from Dhaka to Jashore. The distance from Dhaka to Bhanga is about 82 kilometres. The new railway line from Gandaria in Dhaka has been added to the Padma Bridge via Keraniganj. Trains will be able to run from Kamalapur to Bhanga via Gandaria along the Dhaka-Narayanganj railway line. Under the project, 100 modern passenger coaches have already been purchased. New trains will be introduced by decorating the rakes with them. The Padma Bridge rail link project was approved on May 3, 2016. At that time, its construction cost was estimated to be around Tk 34,989 crore. When the project proposal was amended on May 22, 2018, the cost increased to Tk 39,247 crore. The cost may increase further, according to concerned authorities. The Padma Bridge rail link project is being constructed with Chinese funding, on the basis of G2G (government to government). Chinese contractor China Railway Engineering Group (CREC) is working on the project. China's Exim Bank is providing a loan of $ 266.79 crore to implement the project. The rest of the cost is being financed by the government of Bangladesh. Read more: PM’s Padma Bridge train journey: 11 individuals of different professions to accompany her

A freight train of Bangladesh Railway successfully completed a test run from Faridpur’s Bhanga station crossing the Padma Bridge on Saturday (September 16, 2023). The goods train left Bhanga station at 7:40 am and reached the Mawa Station via Padma Bridge and again returned to Bhanga Station, said Project director of Faridpur Rail Project, Brig: General Syed Ahmed.“ Five bogies carried 350 metric tonnes of stone during the trial run and the speed limit was 80 kilometers per hour,” he said. Locals block Hili rail track demanding restoration of stopover of all trainsPresident of Faridpur Chamber of Commerce Nazrul Islam said people will be able to transport their goods using the train service at a low cost.Earlier, the test run of a passenger train from Dhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Station to Faridpur’s Bhanga Station was successfully completed on September 7. Test run: Train reaches Faridpur’s Bhanga from Dhaka via Padma BridgePrime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the rail link on October 10.

Dreams of some three lakh people in Kachua and Matlab Dakkhin upazilas of Chandpur district are finally coming true following the opening of a 42-meter long bridge over Boaljhuri canal. Socio-economic life in the locality will see a major change through the inauguration of the bridge. Read : 6-year-old girl dies as dengue cases rise in Kushtia The two upazilas — Matlab Dakkhin and Kachua — are separated by the Boaljhuri canal and people of the two upazilas had to cross the canal through boats. To mitigate the suffering of the people of two upazilas, local lawmakers took an initiative to build a bridge in an effort to ease communication. Once the bridge is opened, the social and economic lifestyle of Prashannacup, Banglabazar villages in Kachua bordering area and Kalikapur, Chartbhanga, Kashimpur villages under Matlab Dakkhin upazila will be changed. People can easily go to the district headquarters in a short period of time and at low cost. A Alim, upazila engineer of Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED), said they have completed the construction work of 42-meter concrete bridge over the Boaljhuri canal, at a cost of Tk 2.55 crore, financed by the government, and it will be opened on September 12. Read : Bodies of couple recovered in Chandpur Former minister and MP of Kachua constituency Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir will inaugurate the bridge, he said. The construction work of the bridge started in the 2020-21 fiscal year but it was delayed due to the pandemic. Approach roads have been built on both sides of the bridge, said A Alim. During a recent visit to the bridge area, the UNB correspondent saw that the painting of the bridge is underway. A number of stalls offering fuchka, coffee and tea were set up near the bridge while the construction of many shops is underway on both sides of the river. People were seen roaming around the bridge before the opening ceremony. Read : Bangladeshi cattle trader shot dead ‘by BSF ,along Panchagarh border Locals Abul Hossain, Shafique Patwari, said they had suffered a lot due to the absence of a bridge over the canal. The commute to the district headquarters used to be long. The bridge will help boost trade and income in the two upazilas, they believe. Teachers of Matlab Dakkhin Kalikapur High School said they had to cross the canal by boat to go to the school but now students and teachers can easily go to the school in a short time using the bridge.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (September 02, 2023) inaugurated the 11.5 km Airport- Farmgate segment of 19.73-km Dhaka Elevated Expressway, the first of its kind in the country, raising high hope to reduce traffic congestion and commuters’ travel time in the capital. The long-awaited expressway, one of the mega infrastructure projects under the current government, will be opened to traffic on Sunday morning and it will take 10 minutes for a vehicle to reach Farmgate from Kawla with a speed up to 60 km per hour. This is the first project in the transport sector being implemented under the public-private partnership (PPP) with foreign investment. The expressway has been decorated with placards and flags, which will be removed before the opening of the structure to traffic at 6:00am tomorrow (Sunday, September 03, 2023). Read more What are the toll rates for Dhaka Elevated Expressway? PM's younger sister Sheikh Rehana was also present at the event. The car carrying the prime minister entered the expressway from the north end in Kawla area near the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after paying toll at the toll plaza there. At that time, the prime minister paid Tk 2000 toll for 25 vehicles in her motorcade. The vehicles of of the motorcade fall under a toll slab of Tk 80 each. She got off the expressway in Tejgaon area to join a civic rally at the old trade fair ground in Agargaon. About 80,000 vehicles will be able to pass through the Dhaka Elevated Expressway every day, project officials say. The expressway is expected to increase traffic capacity within and around the city by improving connectivity between the northern part of Dhaka City with the Central, South and South-Eastern part. In addition to providing a much-needed increase in traffic capacity, the expressway will ease existing overloaded roads. Read: Which vehicles can’t use Dhaka Elevated Expressway? When fully completed, the Dhaka Elevated Expressway will run from the capital’s Kawla to Kutubkhali area of Dhaka-Chattogram highway via Kuril-Banani-Mohakhali-Tejgaon-Moghbazar-Kamalapur-Sayedabad-Jatrabari, according to Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader. Vehicles will have to pay tolls for using the expressway. Tolls will be collected in four categories. Private cars, microbuses (

Vehicles including cars; buses; minibuse; microbuses; small, medium and big trucks will be able to take the Dhaka Elevated Expressway every day from tomorrow (September 03, 2023) when it opens to traffic. However, motorcycles, bicycles and three-wheelers will not be allowed to ply on the elevated expressway. Read: Early winter vegetables come as blessings for Jashore farmers Vehicles using the Dhaka Elevated Expressway will have to pay tolls, which will be collected in four categories. Private cars, microbuses (<16 seats) and mini-trucks (<3 tonnes) will have to pay Tk 80; medium-sized trucks (up to 6 wheels) and large trucks with more than 6 wheels will pay Tk 320 and Tk 400 respectively. Meanwhile, all buses and minibuses with 16 or more seats will have to pay Tk 160 to ply the Kawla-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. Read: Big hopes of transformation in commute: Dhaka Elevated Expressway ready for opening today The authorities have set the speed limit at 60 km and it will take 10 minutes for a vehicle with a speed of up to 60 km per hour to reach Farmgate from Kawla. The elevated expressway will serve as an alternative north-south route. It will connect Hemayetpur-Kadamtali-Nimtoli-Sirajdikhan-Madanganj-Dhaka-Chattogram Highway-Madanpur directly. Read: Dhaka’s air 4th most polluted in the world this morning On the other hand, vehicles from the south-western region and the eastern region of the country will be able to enter the north-western region directly without entering Dhaka thanks to the Elevated Expressway – reducing travel time and traffic congestion within the capital city.

The much-awaited Dhaka Elevated Expressway – one of the mega infrastructure projects implemented by the current government – is set to open today (September 02, 2023) with big hopes of easing Dhaka’s traffic congestion and commuting costs by reducing travel time to a great extent. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Kawla-Farmgate section of the elevated expressway, Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader had said. Read : Elevated expressway marks first of 9 megaprojects to be inaugurated before election The Dhaka Elevated Expressway will be open to traffic from 6 am tomorrow (September 03, 2023). The authorities have set the speed limit at 60 km while motorbikes and bicycles will not be allowed on the expressway. Once opened, it will take 10 minutes for a vehicle with a speed of up to 60km per hour to reach Farmgate from Kawla. About 80,000 vehicles will be able to pass through the Dhaka Elevated Expressway every day, project officials say. Read : Metro Rail and Padma Bridge prove AL believes in deeds, not words: Quader As per project details, the first contract was signed on January 19, 2011 and the reviewed agreement was signed on December 15, 2013, and the project completion period was from July 2011 to June 2024. The total length of the elevated expressway is 46.73 km including 19.73 km of the main elevated part. The Dhaka Elevated Expressway will cover Kawla, Kuril, Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kamalapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari to Qutubkhali on Dhaka-Chattogram highway. Vehicles plying on Dhaka Elevated Expressway will have to pay tolls, which will be collected in four categories. Read : PM to inaugurate Agargaon-Motijheel section of Dhaka Metro Rail on Oct 20

Bangladesh's Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on August 20, 2023 announced the toll rates for Dhaka Elevated Expressway, partially opening today (September 02, 2023). Tolls will be collected from vehicles plying the expressway in four categories, the minister said in a press briefing at the conference room of the Ministry of Road, Transport and Bridges in Secretariat on Sunday. Also read: Dhaka Elevated Expressway’s airport to Farmgate section to be inaugurated by PM on Sept 2 Private cars, microbuses (<16 seats) and mini-trucks (<3 tonnes) will have to pay Tk 80, medium-sized trucks (up to 6 wheels) and large trucks with more than 6 wheels will pay Tk 320 and Tk 400 respectively. Meanwhile, all buses and minibuses with 16 or more seats will have to pay Tk 160 to ply the Kawla-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.  Also read: PM to inaugurate Agargaon-Motijheel section of Dhaka Metro Rail on Oct 20 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 11.5 km section of the much anticipated Dhaka Elevated Expressway on September 2. A rally will be held at the old trade fair ground in Dhaka’s Agargaon marking the inauguration. Also read: Toll rates fixed for Karnaphuli tunnel