The country's first metro train set left Kobe port in Japan for Bangladesh by ship at 3pm (6am in Japan) on Thursday.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) provided this update on their Facebook page.
According to DMTCL sources, the actual work of rolling stock or rail coach and depot equipment started on September 13, 2016 in Japan. The mock-up of the metro train arrived at Uttara depot on December 26, 2019.
On 23rd February 2020, it was set up at Uttara Depot Metro Rail Exhibition and Information Center.
Construction of the first metro train set with six passenger coaches was completed in the first week of April 2020, the second set in the first week of September 2020 and the third, fourth and fifth sets in December 2020.
The train was scheduled to leave Kobe port for Bangladesh on February 20 and reach Diabari depot in the capital via Mongla port on April 23. However, it could not be sent on the date due to unfavorable weather conditions, M. A. N. Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), told the media on February 28.
"We still hope the train will reach Dhaka by April 23, but it would depend on the weather conditions", he said.
In August 2016, DMTCL signed an agreement with the Kawasaki-Mitsubishi Consortium to build 24 sets of trains for the Metrorail. Five sets of trains were made by December 2020.
According to DMTCL sources, the second metro train set will start its journey from Kobe port on April 15 and arrive at the depot on June 16, and the third set on June 13 to reach the depot on August 13.
DMTCL also said that the fourth and the fifth metro train sets will arrive in Bangladesh soon. However, the probable date of these two sets has not been determined as yet.
The country's first Metrorail Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 is being constructed from Uttara to Motijheel at a cost of Tk 22,000 crore.