One year of Dhaka Metro: Are citizens in love yet?

When the MRT-6 was inaugurated on December 28, 2022, and partial service began a day later, headlines read "Dhaka enters the era of metro rail". While it may have felt like an overstatement at that time, the transformation in Dhaka's transportation landscape has been monumental, and it has been there for all to see.

After the section of the metro between Agargaon and Uttara was opened last year, it took until March 31, 2023 for all nine stations to be opened on that section. Then the long wait began for inhabitants of the southern Dhaka for the line to open on the Agargaon-Motijheel section, and after several delays, it was opened on November 4. The next big date in the life of MRT-6 is December 31, 2023, when all the stations between Motijheel and Uttara North will finally be open.

But has the metro managed to change the lives of the people in Dhaka? In early November, it was reported that ridership on the metro rail is just above 100 thousand. What do those riders think about the metro?

"I've been taking the metro from Farmgate to Motijheel the last two months to go to my college in Arambagh," said Abrar Mahir, a student of Notre Dame College, Dhaka.

"It has made life much easier, as I no longer feel tired by the time I get to class every day. My friends who live in Mirpur or Uttara used to take the bus or catch local trains before, but now they use the metro," he said.

However, the metro not being available after 12:00pm in the Agargaon-Motijheel section means students like him are left to take other transportation while returning home. "We are eagerly waiting for it to be open fully, in the evening too," he added.

Afia Jahin, a job holder in Dhaka, uses the metro rail to get to her workplace in Farmgate from her home in Mirpur.

"It has made my commute faster and safer, as the alternative is buses, which tend to be poorly driven and I don't have to worry about being the next victim of a road crash," she said.

Beyond the practical benefits, a metro rail can become a point of intense fanfare among the people in a city. The New York City subway has featured in many pop culture moments over the years. New Yorkers complain about the service all the time, yet romanticise it as well. In a New York Times opinion piece, columnist Maeve Higgins wrote, "I wonder if I can stand many more years of unreliable service. Then something happens that gets me all mushy again."

The London Underground, or the "Tube", has many people obsessed over it. On YouTube, English comedian Jay Foreman makes funny videos about the intricacies of the Tube and its map, and they garner millions of views (in one of the videos, he sings the name of all 270 stations in 3 minutes).

So, is Dhaka getting to that level?

Rayhan Ahmed Ratul is the moderator of a Facebook group called "Metro Rail Passengers Community – DHAKA". He takes the metro from Motijheel to Pallabi to get to class at Government Bangabandhu College.

"The journey that used to take 2-3 hours on public transport is now down to 30 minutes. For many passengers of the MRT-6 like me, it is now close to our heart," he said.

"From the start, I have been following every update on the metro on news and social media with a lot of excitement, because this metro is connected to my daily life," he added.

The excitement is undercut with some criticism too.

"The fares seem a little high for students, maybe a special pass for students only can be offered," said Abrar.

"During office hours or high passenger rush, buying tickets takes a lot of time because of the crowd. Making more people get the MRT Pass or the Rapid Pass would help," said Rayhan.

It should be noted that Dhaka's metro is still brand new, whereas many cities across the world have had metro systems for decades, if not a century. Dhaka's metro rail has done quite a bit in one year, and passengers seem to be patient in waiting for it to do more.

"The process of Dhaka Metro becoming a part of people's lives is still not complete, it's progressing slowly. Till now, only one line has been opened, things will change more when more lines open up," said Rayhan.

"It will take a while for the impact of the metro rail to be as huge as it can be, but the metro rail is yet to reach its full potential in terms of how positively it can impact the lives of Dhaka's commuters," said Afia.