Metrorail likely to start in last week of Dec
24 November 2022
Staff Reporter :
The country's first ever metro rail service between Uttara and Agargaon is likely to start its journey in the last week of December.
A summary has already been sent to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's appointment to inaugurate the service.
MAN Siddique, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) told reporters after signing a contract for a package of MRT Line-1 at a city hotel on Wednesday.
"We are yet to receive any date of inauguration. A summary has sent to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's appointment in the last week of December for inaugurating the metro rail.
We hope that the Prime Minister will agree to the proposal. We do not have the proposal for December 16 as there are many programmes on that day. So it is not possible to inaugurate the metro rail service on December 16," MAN Siddique said.
He said that the Cabinet Division has asked them to make necessary preparations keeping December last week in mind as inaugural date of metro rail service.
Earlier in September, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader had said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the MRT Line-6 in December, the month of victory."
Metro rail completes a 'performance run' from Uttara depot to Pallabi, Mirpur, Dhaka on 29 August 2021
The fare of metrorail service has been fixed at Tk 5 per kilometre. The minimum fare has been fixed at Tk 20. The fare for a trip from Uttara to Kamalapur will be Tk 100. However, it will be a free service for the war-wounded freedom fighters.
Metro rail completes a 'performance run' from Uttara depot to Pallabi, Mirpur, Dhaka on 29 August 2021
The DMTCL is officially implementing the project known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6.
However, a land development agreement in the depot area (MRT Line-1) for another metro line was signed on Wednesday. MAN Siddique said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate MRT Line-1 in the last week of January or the first week of February next year.
The construction work of the subway rail line will start after the inauguration and it will be done through 12 packages, he added.
"We are working on different parts of each package. We will be able to inform the media after few days regarding starting the work of the underground through the TVM machine," he said in reply to a query.
