Metro rail’s test run on Agargaon-Motijheel begins tomorrow

The much-awaited test run of the metro rail from Agargaon to Motijheel will begin tomorrow.

“Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will inaugurate the test run of the metro rail from Agargaon at 4:pm,” Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd MAN Siddique told BSS this evening.

“The metro rail operation from Agargaon to Motijheel will be made open to the public from October this year,” Siddique said.

He said authorities are working to complete all related works on the MRT Line-6 within the stipulated time.

On 28 December last year, Bangladesh entered a new era as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first-ever elevated metro rail in the capital Dhaka. Then, the operation of the metro train from Uttara-Agargaon was inaugurated.

Later, the metro rail authorities announced that the Agargaon-Motijheel section would be opened this December.

The MRT authorities hope that the functioning of the metro rail from Motijheel to Kamalapur will begin in June, 2025.

The metro rail is projected to carry 60,000 passengers per hour by travelling the entire route of 21.26 km from Uttara to Motijheel-Kamalapur Railway Station in less than 40 minutes.

Earlier on August 1, 2017, the implementation agency started installing the viaduct for the rail project. Within April this year they were scheduled to clean the occupied roads under the project areas, MAN Siddique said.

The 20.1-kilometre long metro rail line lies through Uttara Phase-3 and the Bangladesh Bank in Motijheel via Pallabi, Rokeya Sarani, Khamarbari, Farmgate, Karwanbazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University’s Teacher-Student Centre, Doyel Chatwar and Jatiya Press Club.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the construction work of the metro rail project, also known as the MRT Line-6, on June 24, 2016. (BSS)