Metro rail services in the capital resumed on Friday night after officers and staff of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTC) suspended their indefinite strike following assurances from senior management.
The last trains departed from Uttara at 9pm and from Motijheel at 9:40pm, according to DMTC sources.
The strike had brought metro operations to a complete halt, causing significant inconvenience for commuters. Trains scheduled to leave Uttara at 3pm and Motijheel at 3:20pm did not depart, leaving passengers stranded.
Commuters expressed frustration over the sudden disruption. Al Mahmud Apu, one commuter, said, “I left home on time to avoid traffic, but when I arrived at the station, the trains were not running. It caused serious concern about reaching my office on time.”
The protest began around 3pm at DMTC’s Uttara head office, where employees staged a sit-in demanding the formulation and publication of an independent service rule. Tensions escalated when Managing Director Faruk Ahmed intervened, and some employees blocked his office. Security personnel were later deployed to control the situation.
DMTC, established in 2013, employs over 900 officers and staff who have long demanded an independent service rule. Since the metro’s commercial launch in 2022, employees hired through open recruitment have claimed they are being denied key benefits, including leave, CPF, gratuity, shift allowances, overtime, and group insurance.
The advisory committee had directed in September 2024 that the service rule be finalised within 60 working days. Following delays, employees staged a strike in February 2025, after which authorities promised to finalise the rule by March.
With nine months of inaction, employees were forced to resume their protest.
While Friday’s talks have temporarily suspended the strike, employees emphasised that a full resolution depends on DMTC management. With the strike suspended, metro rail services are back on schedule, providing relief to thousands of daily commuters in the city.
