শুক্রবার, ২৯শে মার্চ, ২০২৪ খ্রিস্টাব্দ ১৫ই চৈত্র, ১৪৩০ বঙ্গাব্দ

Metro rail goes into operation next year: official

news-image

Online Desk : The much awaited metro rail line-6 will go into commercial operation next year as its mainline test on viaduct will take place in August this year.

“We expect that the commercial operation of the MRT line-6 from Uttara to Agargaon part will begin next year,” Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Limited (DMTCL) MAN Siddique told BSS here on Thursday.

He said the country’s first overhead communication system ‘metro train’ in the country undertaken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will start its mainline performance test on viaduct in August.

Siddique said that construction of all metro stations was going on in full swing during the coronavirus pandemic maintaining health guidelines strictly.

According to the project details, the first phase of the country’s first metro rail project between Uttara and Agargaon became visible and its progress stood at 85.64 percent.

A total of 14.41 kilometers viaducts were installed out of 20.10 km from Uttara to Motijheel metro rail and the progress in Agargaon to Motijheel part rose to 62.50 percent.

The project details said the second set of metro train reached the depot before 15 days of the scheduled time, while third and fourth shipment of metro train set will reach in the country on August 13. The fifth set will start its journey from Japan on July 16, which is expected to anchor on September 17 this year.

Besides, platforms construction of Uttara North, Uttara Center, Uttara South and Pallabi stations were completed, while platform construction of Mirpur-11, Kazipara and Shewrapa stations is going on, it said.

The metro rail is projected to carry 60,000 passengers per hour by traveling the entire route of 21.26 km from Uttara to Motijheel-Kamalapur Railway Station in less than 40 minutes.

If the current pace of work continues by following safety rules during the ongoing coronavirus situation, the rail project is expected to be completed within December 2022.

The length of the metro rail route up to Motijheel was 20.10 km. But now it is extended to Kamalapur Railway Station by 1.16 km. As a result, the number of stations has been increased to 16.

According to project details, 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 Sarawni, Framgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbag, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Secretariat and Motijheel.

The iconic stations will be at Diabari, Mirpur and Motijheel, while other stations will be constructed ordinarily.