Dhaka metro rail company is going to hire a good number of foreign technical persons to manage operations of a part of the country's first metro rail scheduled to be inaugurated on December 28.
Sources said Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has already requested the consultant and contractors of the mass rapid transit line 6 (MRT 6) project to provide support in this regard.
As the company is yet to make necessary manpower ready to start commercial operation of the metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon for the whole day after its inauguration, they said, these imported manpower are likely to operate the MRT 6 in the next couple of months to increase the operational time and reduce operational frequency gradually.
However, another source said the request was made at a moment when hiring adequate manpower for operation of the highly technical trains would be quite challenging.
They also said the Japanese contractor for the rolling stock has already hired some people from the Philippines while the project's consultant is also trying to find a few others from nearby countries.
Some Indian people may be hired for the MRT 6, it is also learnt.
The DMTCL has started recruiting its technical staff in 2018, more than two years later than the project's financier Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recommended for it.
The DMTCL board approved 1,914 skilled and technical hands to implement, operate, maintain and manage the MRT 6 in 2017 for rolling stock, signaling and telecommunication systems, electrical, permanent way and civil department, and administration and finance departments among others.
Around 250 people have so far received training but they are yet to gain adequate operational skills and experience required for running the trains for hours.
The training of the first batch of 73 people also started one year behind the schedule due to the COVID pandemic situation that halted traveling to India for the purpose.
Meanwhile, the DMTCL had a meeting with the high officials and representatives from various departments, including the Road Transport and Highways Division and JICA on Sunday to plan the inaugural function as well as MRT operations after the inauguration.
Though it was initially planned to operate the train for two hours each in the morning and evening, DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique, however, said the discussion was still continuing to finalise the time and schedule.
He, however, denied the claim that its manpower was not ready and said a short duration of operation has been planned to make the commuters habituated.
"It's still under discussion about the time and frequency of train operations as a plan for running trains for four hours at a time is on the table for consideration," the MD told the FE over phone.
He said it has been decided to operate the train directly from Uttara to Agargaon without stopping at the rest seven stations and 10 minutes of interval. The stations would be added gradually after monitoring the situation.
Sources pointed out that at least 10 technical persons would be required for each station for tackling any emergency situation, but the DMTCL is yet to provide such manpower for all the nine stations.
Though the contractor of CP 8 completed all its integrated tests on November 30 and two-week service trial on Saturday, the DMTCL will now have to carry out a blank operation with its own staff to meet operations compliance.
The blank operation is supposed to be for three to four months as per international practice. The meeting sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will ride the MRT from Agargaon by purchasing her own MRT pass after the inaugural ceremony on December 28.
She will ride until Uttara where she will unveil a plaque, before returning back to Agargaon station.
The DMTCL started constructing the country's first MRT from Uttara to Motijheel in 2016 at a cost of Tk 334.72 billion. It was later initiated to extend the 20.1 km elevated track up to Kamlapur station upon the Prime Minister's directive in 2021, extending the length to 21.2 km.
