Metro Rail to Invite Tender Soon for New MRT Cards

Authorities are preparing to issue a tender soon to purchase around one lakh new MRT cards.

However, a DTCA official said the last delivery, expected on October 7, was supposed to include 250,000 cards — but only 100,000 were received. Of these, 50,000 were distributed to metro stations for public sale. Officials warn that this stock will likely run out within a month, and unless new cards arrive on time, another shortage will occur.

Meanwhile, DMTCL officials stated that they can now procure MRT passes directly, as they have received the required secret code from DTCA. Approval has already been granted to purchase 100,000 new cards. But completing the procurement process through tender may take between three and six months.

Earlier reports indicated that bureaucratic delays were also affecting the metro’s Rapid Pass system, causing further inconvenience for passengers.

Issues for Lost or Damaged Cards

Alongside the shortage, commuters who lost or damaged their MRT cards faced additional difficulties. Since all permanent card transactions and balances are managed under DTCA’s clearing system, passengers couldn’t recover unused funds from lost or broken cards — because the security code remained with DTCA.

For instance, Asif Ahmed, a regular commuter traveling from Farmgate to Secretariat Station, shared that he lost his MRT card in August, which still had a balance of 400 taka. After switching to a Rapid Pass, he was unable to retrieve the remaining balance.

However, by the end of last month, DTCA provided the secret code to the metro rail authority. Passengers can now transfer their unused balance from old or damaged MRT cards to their new Rapid Pass cards.

According to DMTCL Managing Director Faruq Ahmed, the system now allows funds from lost or expired MRT cards to be successfully transferred to Rapid Pass accounts.