A total of 309 vehicles used the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel in the first five hours after the long-cherished tunnel opened to traffic at 6:00am today.

"Total 309 vehicles used tunnel till 11:00am today and we have collected Tk 75,350 so far," Abul Kalam Azad, deputy project director of the tunnel project, told The Daily Star today.

He said the number of vehicles is relatively low due to the hartals called by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami but they hoped the traffic would increase as the day progressed.