Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said a Dhaka metro rail trial run will take place in 2021.
He stated this on Wednesday at a review meeting of the Mass-Rapid Transit (MRT) lines. The meeting occurred at the metro rail site office in Agargaon – after his visit to the metro rail construction site in the area.
Quader said: "Construction work of metro rail phase 6 is ongoing at a great pace. Construction work in Agargaon will be completed in 2019 while work in Motijheel will be finished in 2020.
“We will be able to do a trial run of the metro rail on December 16, 2021," said Quader.
Quader, who is also the Road, Transport and Bridges Minister, said: "People will be able to move easily after the construction of ongoing megaprojects is complete."
The minister also said the government plans to build a strong metro rail network in Dhaka, by 2030, after completing the construction of six metro rail routes.
Metro rail route 1 is scheduled to be complete by 2026. The estimated cost of the metro rail project is Tk53,000 crore.
MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) told journalists that the government is planning to construct metro rail route 5—from Hemayetpur to Vatara—to connect city’s east and west sides.
He said: “The length of this route will be 20km and the estimated cost of the project is Tk42,000 crore.”
Once the metro rail is complete, it will be the most time-efficient, reliable, safe, comfortable and environment-friendly solution for commuting. It will transform Dhaka into a more active, commute-friendly, and sustainable city.
Project officials said around 60,000 passengers will be able to move, per hour, using the metro rail. In 2021, an estimated 500,000 people will commute by Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 every day.
