Metro will have special facilities for women, elderly and disabled

The Dhaka Metro Rail authorities have taken different measures to ensure comfortable metro travel for women, children, the elderly and people with special needs.

Those unable to buy tickets at the Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) on the second floor of the metro station, will be helped by sales staff at the Ticket Office Machine (TOM) next to it.

One of the two TOM booths is placed at a lower level for physically challenged and elderly passengers on wheelchairs.

Lifts and escalators will help disabled persons to enter or leave the station.

Infographic: TBS

he lifts also have grab handles inside, control panel at lower height and braille instructions on the control panel. There is also a ramp in front of the lifts for wheelchair users.

These facilities will help women, children, elderly and disabled passengers, said MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the state-owned operator of the Dhaka Metro Rail.

"We thought about the convenience of all including children and the elderly." he told The Business Standard.

For women

One of the six coaches of the metro trains will be reserved for women. Women can also travel in any coach. In all other coaches, special seating will be reserved for the elderly as well as pregnant women.

Each station has a separate washroom for women. There are also diaper changing rooms for babies.

Wheelchair Access

For the convenience of  wheelchair users, the distance between metro coaches and platforms is very close. Each coach of the train also has space for wheelchairs.

Wheelchair ramps have been installed in front of the elevators. The station concourse has an access road width relatively wide for entering the paid zone.

Separate washrooms at each station are equipped with special commodes for wheelchair users.

For the visually and hearing impaired

Siddique said that announcements at stations and on the metro will be made on public address systems as well as on digital displays for the visually and hearing impaired.

He said that the hearing impaired can see the text of the display, and the visually impaired can know the location, destination and next station of the train by the PA announcement.

In the station area, yellow tactile walkways will be provided at each station for blind sticks of blind passengers.

150 Rover Scouts to help passengers

Some 150 members of the Rover Scout are being deployed at nine stations from Uttara to Agargaon to help the public in using the Metro and to help people with special needs.

They will help with the use of automatic entry and exit gates, purchase of tickets through automated machines (TVM), MRT/Rapid Pass purchase and recharge procedures, concourse level and platform facilities, and boarding and exiting the Metro trains.

People with special needs, women, children and the elderly passengers will get assistance, DMTCL sources said.