The extension of the country's first metro rail line, from Motijheel to Kamalapur, is unlikely to open this year, officials said.

Although 46 percent of the 1.16km extended line has been completed, authorities have yet to hire a contractor for track installation and signalling work, raising doubts about meeting the December 2025 deadline.

Meanwhile, the metro rail authority is working to increase train frequency and expand service hours on Fridays as ridership steadily grows.

On Monday, metro rail recorded its highest-ever daily ridership, transporting 3.82 lakh passengers, surpassing the previous record of 3.81 lakh on January 23 this year, they said.

Metro rail officials shared this information during a discussion with members of Reporters for Rail and Road (RRR), a platform for journalists covering transportation infrastructure, at DMTCL's headquarters in Uttara's Diabari yesterday.

The country's first metro rail -- Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 -- has been operating from Uttara to Motijheel since November 2023.

MRT Line-6 was initially designed as an elevated line from Uttara to Motijheel. Later, a skywalk was planned to connect the line with Kamalapur Railway Station.

In 2019, DMTCL extended the plan to take the 20.10km line directly to Kamalapur following a directive from the then-prime minister.

Construction of the extended section was 46.07 percent complete as of January, and authorities aim to finish the line and Kamalapur station by April, shows document.

The revised project deadline is December, but meeting it will be challenging, said Mohammed Abdur Rouf, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), the implementing and operating agency.

He said discussions are ongoing with contractors working on the Uttara-Motijheel section to take on the additional tasks, but they are demanding more money than allocated in the revised development project proposal (DPP).

Once a contract is signed, the contractor will need eight to ten months to complete the work, he said.

SERVICE EXPANSION PLAN

Rouf said rising passenger numbers have prompted plans to expand services.

Currently, metro trains operate from 3:00pm on Fridays, and efforts are underway to introduce morning services.

They are also conducting surveys to assess the feasibility of increasing trip frequency, he said.

On average, 3.5 lakh people use the metro daily. This Monday, 3,82,088 passengers were transported, the highest in a single day, surpassing the previous record of 3,81,055 on January 23, he said.

Rouf also said in the 2023-24 fiscal year, metro ticket sales generated Tk 243.09 crore.

DMTCL top officials and RRR leaders attended the meeting. Earlier, RRR members visited the metro workshop and other facilities.