The performance test of the country's first Metrorail (MRT-6) has officially been inaugurated amid huge enthusiasm.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader inaugurated the test trial in city’s Uttara Diabari Metrorail depot on Sunday.
A Metrorail with six bogies ran on Metrorail Viaduct (Metro Line) and later returned to the depot from Diabari depot via Pallabi in Mirpur.
In the context of Metrorail, the minister said, “It is a milestone. Metro rail is no longer a dream, it is a visible reality. A group of people will criticize and propagate but we will give answers through our work. The Sheikh Hasina government responded through development work.”
Quader said, “It will take 6 months to complete all the works of Metro Rail Line-6. Besides, five other metro rail trains will start operating by 2030. The progress work from Uttara to Mirpur is 88 percent.”
This is the first metro rail service for Bangladesh. The experimental movement has been started. However, this trial is being performed without any passengers. The train will run on a trial basis at four stations from Uttara to Pallabi in the capital. This movement is called the ‘performance test’.
Earlier on April 21, the first set of MRT-6 reached Dhaka. In the first set, two barges with six coaches and others reached Dhaka. Later step by step other bogies gradually arriving at Dhaka. The process of bringing the rest of the bogies is underway.
Two Japanese companies - Mitsubishi and Kawasaki are constructing those coaches of metro rail.
The first metro rail in the country will have 24 train sets. Each set will have six coaches. Each set has a passenger capacity of 2,308. Metrorail will carry about 60,000 passengers per hour on both sides.
According to the people involved in the project, the overall progress of the work of MRT-6 has been calculated 68.29 percent.
According to project officials, as platforms construction of Uttara, Uttara Center, Uttara Dakhhin, and Pallabi stations have been completed, the trial run is conducting within those stations. On the other hand, construction of the Mirpur-11, Kazipara and Shewrapa stations are going on.
Meanwhile, it was also learned that, to continue the construction work during the pandemic restrictions, a 10-bed isolation center (Field Hospital) at the Gabtoli construction site and a 14-bed isolation center (Field Hospital) at Uttara Ponchoboti construction yard were constructed.
The 20.10-kilometer (km) metro rail is being constructed from Uttara to Motijheel at a cost of around Tk 22,000 crore to reduce traffic congestion in the capital.
Of the total cost of Tk 22,000 crore, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will give Tk 16,595 crore while the rest of the fund will come from the government exchequer.
Divided into two parts, the first part of the project is being constructed from Uttara to Agargaon and the second phase is being constructed from Agargaon to Motijheel.
There will be a total of 16 stations on the 21-km route of the Mass Rapid Transit-MRT Line-6. The stations are: Uttara North, Uttara Center, Uttara South, Pallabi, Mirpur-11, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbag, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Secretariat and Motijheel.
In 2012, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) had approved the project. A loan agreement between Bangladesh Government and JICA was signed in January 2013.
