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PM inaugurates underground rail construction

News Desk || risingbd.com

Published: 12:01, 2 February 2023   Update: 12:25, 2 February 2023
PM inaugurates underground rail construction

As part of the initiative to ease traffic jam in the Dhaka city, the government has started the construction work of underground metro rail.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work on Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work on Thursday morning from RAJUK Commercial Plat Ground near Rupganj Janata Plot Ground in Narayanganj district.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi (Birpratik), Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh IWAMA Kiminori, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary A B M Amin Ullah Nuri and Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) MAN Siddique accompanied the premier.

A 31km metro rail way will be constructed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur via Purbachal. Of which, 21km will be underground.

According to sources, the next goal of the government is to build a smarter Bangladesh, which requires a smart transportation system. As part of the initiative, a total of six MRT routes will be developed in the capital by 2030.

The underground metro construction will be implemented dividing all project components into some packages.

Japanese firm-led consortium will oversee the construction of the Airport-Kamalapur-Purbachal metro line.

According to the project details, the MRT Line-1 will take 24 minutes and 30 seconds to travel from Airport to Kamalapur, with breaks at 12 underground stations and 20 minutes and 35 seconds to travel from Natun Bazar to Purbachal with breaks at seven stations.

Passengers will be able to reach Purbachal from Kamalapur with an interchange in Natun Bazar station within only 40 minutes with breaks at 16 stations.

After the launch of MRT Line 1, eight lakh passengers will be able to travel through the route every day.

The government will construct the MRT Line-1 having both underground and elevated facilities from Airport to Kamalapur and Purbachal to Natun Bazar with an estimated cost of Tk 52,561.43 crore by 2026.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the MRT line-1 project at Tk 52,561.43 crore in 2019.
A total of six metro rail routes will be constructed in the capital city Dhaka by 2030.

Sheikh Hasina earlier on December 28 last opened the 11.73 km part of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 of the metro rail project from Diabari to Agargaon by unveiling its plaque at Diabari in the city.

Parvej/Mukul