WEB DESK
The first-ever metro rail in Bangladesh was inaugurated in Dhaka by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday. The elevated metro rail Line 6 11.73-kilometre length is part of Bangladesh’s ambitious Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) which is being implemented in phases. The first metro train running between Diabari to Agargaon was inaugurated by Prime Minister Hasina unveiling the plaque at Diabari station in the capital. A commemorative banknote of Taka 50 denomination and a stamp were also issued to mark this historic occasion in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.
Prime Minister Hasina hailed the opening of the metro rail as a crowning achievement along with the Padma setu inaugurated a few months back. She said the metro rail heralds the beginning of a new age in Bangladesh with high-speed trains running on electricity which is environmentally safe. She reiterated her commitment to make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041.
Initially, the train will run daily for 4 hours from 8 a.m. to 12 noon between Uttara and Agargaon stations without any stoppage. In the beginning, 10 sets of trains with six coaches each will run from Uttara to Agargaon. The metro rail will carry 60 thousand passengers per hour and 5 lakh passengers per day. The frequency of the trains will be 4 minutes.
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network in Dhaka is planned to be 129 kilometres out of which 61 km will be underground.
The metro rail has been constructed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which has also provided a soft loan for the project. The construction work of Metro line 6 was started in 2016.