Bangladesh has ushered in a new era of public transportation as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina flagged off the country's first metro passenger train at Dhaka's Diabari.
The prime minister inaugurated the Uttara-Agargaon section of the metro rail line on Wednesday. The service will open to the public on Thursday.
Highlighting the massive expenditure on the project, Hasina urged citizens to maintain cleanliness at the stations while using the electric trains in an orderly manner, reports bdnews24.com.
"A lot of modern technology and digital devices have been used [as part of this project] and we must make sure that they do not break. Everyone using them should make sure that no one litters in our stations or dirties them. Everyone should be aware of this. I am sincerely asking those who make use of this service to do so in a clean, proper, and orderly way and to follow the rules."
The metro rail is yet another milestone in Bangladesh's development, according to the prime minister.
The premier also paid tribute to the seven Japanese nationals who were working on the metro rail project in Dhaka when they were killed in a gruesome terrorist attack in 2016.
A memorial plaque has been built in their honour, the prime minister said as she expressed her gratitude for their contributions to the project.
Hasina also paid homage to Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister who was assassinated in July. "After the incident [terror attack], work on the metro rail had stopped for some time. But it restarted on his [Abe's] orders."
Later, Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana bought tickets from an MRT counter to board the inaugural train at the Uttara North Station.
After waving a green flag to set the first metro train on its way, Hasina and Rehana boarded another train at the platform. Ministers, diplomats, representatives of all religious communities and rail workers accompanied Hasina on her first journey in Dhaka by metro rail.
The prime minister travelled to the end of the route in Agargaon before heading back to her official residence.
