Metro sees huge crowd as book fair kicks off

Passengers thronged Dhaka Metro Rail stations as the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair kicked off today.

At the Dhaka University station, hundreds of passengers were seen waiting at packed platforms, hoping to board already overflowing trains.

This correspondent witnessed at least four trains arrive and depart, all of them filled to the brim, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. However, many were seen waiting eagerly for the next ride.

Many frustrated passengers shared their experiences with The Daily Star.

Sabbir Islam, a private university student, said, "I came here on the metro and thought I would used it on my return journey. But the crowd is unbelievable! I've already missed two trains... Everyone's struggling even getting closer to the trains."

He urged authorities to increase the number of trains or seats.

Another passenger, Antora Biswas, said, "As it was raining outside, I chose to take the metro to return to Motijheel. But seeing the amount of passengers waiting on platforms, it seems like I have already made a mistake."

Mofiz Uddin, a metro rail official, was seen tirelessly trying to manage the crowd with a megaphone. He was repeatedly warning passengers to stay off the tracks for safety. Despite his sincere efforts, the situation remained chaotic.

Talking about the excessive crowd, he told this newspaper, "I've never seen anything like this. Usually, two staff can handle the platform. But today, even with four of us, we're struggling to manage the sheer number of people."

He attributed the surge of passengers to the book fair and VIP movement, which he said caused a temporary influx of passengers.

This correspondent also struggled to get on a train, missing five before finally boarding the sixth one after an hour-long wait.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2024 at the Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka this afternoon.