The prime minister will inaugurate the second part of the Mass Rapid Transit-6 (MRT 6) line, connecting Agargaon to Motijheel, on Saturday.
With the inauguration of the second part, commercial operations of the country's first metro rail, from the entire Uttara to Motijheel patch, will begin on Sunday.
Official sources said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has confirmed the inaugural date for the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which held a series of preparatory meetings at its Farmgate site office on Sunday.
According to the sources, the prime minister is expected to ride from Agargaon-Motijheel during the inauguration. Then she will unveil a plaque at Motijheel station.
Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri confirmed the schedule but said it may change.
He said the decision on a public gathering on this occasion will be finalised within a day or two.
The authorities will run MRT-6 eventually up to Kamalapur, as the work to extend the rail from Motijheel to Kamalapur station started last year.
DMTCL had initially planned to inaugurate the MRT-6 from Agargaon to Motijheel on October 20, but the date was changed twice due to the prime minister's tight schedule.
State-owned DMTCL inaugurated the first half of the MRT-6 from Uttara North to Agargaon on December 29 last year, initially launching operations for four hours a day. It gradually increased the time to 12 hours a day, from 8 am to 8 pm.
The DMTCL has planned to operate the Agragaon to Motijheel section for two hours on the first day of operation, with stoppages at Farmgate, Secretariat and Motijheel.
DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique said in a recent press conference that the operation time of the second part of the MRT-6 will be gradually increased to match the first part, to facilitate the movement of the city's north-south bound people, particularly during rush hours.
MRT-6 project officials said that almost all stations on the second part have been completed, except for some stairs of entry and exit.
smunima@yahoo.com