A Metro train crossing the Purana Paltan area on its way to the Motijheel station during its first test trip on the Dhaka Metro Rail's Agargaon-Motijheel route on Friday. — FE photo by Shafiqul Alam
The authorities have run the first test trip on Dhaka Metro Rail’s Agargaon-Motijheel route, which is expected to open to passengers in October, report agencies.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader flagged off the test trip at the metro rail’s Agargaon station on Friday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the route from Uttara to Agargaon in December 2022.
The electric metro service, Bangladesh’s first, was open to the public a day after the inaugural ceremony. Nine stations on the route were launched in several phases.
Enthusiastic commuters of the capital city expressed relief as they witnessed the test run of the metro rail on the route.
Giving hope to commuters, Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the country’s first-ever metro rail service up to Motijheel in October this year and in the next year it will be operated all the way to Kamalapur.
Talking to BSS at Agargaon station, a city dweller, Abdul Halim, said Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina inaugurated the country’s first-ever elevated electricity powered metro rail service up to Agargaon from Diabari depot on December 28, 2022.
Sharif Ahhmed, an enthusiastic person who came to Agargaon from Shewrapara, said, “I was excited and happy to see the train running.”
He said Dhaka residents experience severe traffic congestion every day.
”The metro rail is an environment-friendly and sophisticated transport system . . . We are hoping that Dhaka residents will get rid of the curse of traffic congestion soon,” he added.
The metro rail currently operates for 12 hours every day, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on the Uttara-Agargaon section of the line. The inauguration of the remaining section will enable commercial operations of the metro rail along the entire 20.10km line, connecting Uttara to Motijheel.
The metro rail is projected to carry 60,000 passengers per hour by travelling the entire route from Uttara to Motijheel-Kamalapur Railway Station in less than 40 minutes.
The 20.1-kilometre long metro rail line lies through Uttara Phase-3 and the Bangladesh Bank in Motijheel via Uttara North, Uttara Center, Pallabi, Mirpur Circle-10, Rokeya Sarani, Khamarbari, Farmgate, Karwanbazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University’s Teacher-Student Centre, Doyel Chatwar and Jatiya Press Club.
The JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) provided around Tk 166.00 billion as project assistance out of the total cost of Taka 22,000 crore.