Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work of the first subway in Bangladesh a month after the country rolled out its first metro rail system.
The prime minister inaugurated the Mass Rapid Transit Line-1 at sector 4 in Purbachal on Thursday. She was accompanied by Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader, Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi and Narayanganj MP Shamim Osman and Mayor Selina Hossain Ivy, reports bdnews24.com.
The 19.87-km stretch of the railway under the project will cost Tk 525.61 billion and will comprise 12 underground stations from the Dhaka airport to Kamalapur via Kuril, Badda and Rampura. The 11.36 km elevated section of the project will stretch from Notun Bazar to Purbachal via Kuril with nine stations along the way.
The government aims to complete the project by 2026.
A civil society gathering was organised to mark the inauguration of the subway project at sector 4 in Uttara. Leaders and activists of the Awami League from different districts and upazilas marched to the venue on Thursday morning.
The air was festive as the crowd wore colourful clothes and played the drums.
A big stage was set up at the venue, as the streets in Purbachal and Rupganj were adorned with banners and festoons blazoned with the portrait of the prime minister.
The Metro Rail Line-1 depot will be set up at Pitolganj in Narayanganj, DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique said on Tuesday. The DMTCL has signed contracts with the Tokyo Construction Company Limited of Japan and the local company Max Infrastructure Limited. The entire project will be implemented under 12 packages.
Hasina inaugurated the first metro rail in Dhaka on December 28. The urban rail line running from Uttara to Agargaon has earned around Tk 250 million and carried more than 300,000 passengers as of Jan 30.