Four kilometres of the 20.1-km Dhaka metro rail, from Uttara to Motijheel in the city, is now visible.
Already, 93 per cent construction of the Uttara to Agargoan section of it has been completed. This portion is set to be opened by December this year.
The government plans to inaugurate the country's first-ever metro on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's independence in December 2021.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) under the Ministry of Transport and Bridges is implementing the project.
Metro rail trains will have the capacity to transport 22,000 passengers per hour, meaning 500,000 passengers day, from Uttara, a northern part of the capital, to Motijheel.
According to the DMTCL’s progress report, nearly 24 per cent of the project's work has been completed since April this year.
The rail link of the metro will have 16 stations. There will be soundproof walls along the tracts.
The 16 stations will be at Uttara North, Central Uttara, Uttara South, Pallabi, Mirpur-11, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sharani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbag, Dhaka University, the secretariat, and Motijheel.
The metro will take 35 minutes to reach Motijheel from Uttara. The station will be high as a three-storey building and will be accessed by escalators and lifts. Ticket counter and other facilities will be available at the second floor. The authorities said 12 trains will run on the routes.
Of total cost Tk 22,000 crore, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will give Tk 16595 crore while the rest of the fund will come from the government exchequer.
Experts said once the metro rail is implemented, it will be the most time-efficient, reliable, safe, comfortable and environment-friendly solution to the severe traffic congestion. It will also transform Dhaka into a more active, commuter-friendly, and sustainable city.
Earlier, JICA conducted a primary survey and feasibility study on the city’s 20-year-long Revised Strategic Transport (RSTP) project undertaken by the government.
In 2012, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project. A loan agreement between Bangladesh Government and JICA was signed in January 2013.
