Dhaka’s metro rail system has experienced an overflow of commuters during the weekend due to the arrival of pilgrims in Dhaka to participate in the Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after the Hajj.
The authorities were forced to close the gates at Agargaon station 15 minutes ahead of schedule on Saturday.
The recently inaugurated Dhaka Metro Rail, the first in Bangladesh, operates from the northernmost station of Uttara to Agargaon, not stopping at intermediate stations from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
The station gates open at 8 am and close at 12 noon.
An on-duty policeman was trying to explain to some commuters that the gates were closed as the station was packed with commuters waiting to board the train.
Abu Bakar Siddiqui, a waiting passenger who wanted to go to Tongi via Uttara to join the Islamic congregation, was disappointed by the premature gate closure.
