Physical work on the country's first underground metro rail will be inaugurated at a programme in Purbachal New Town Project area on today (Thursday).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the work at 11:00 am by unveiling a plaque.
Later, she will address a public gathering near Purbachal commercial plot ground of Rajuk.
Project director Mohammad Abul Kashem Bhuiyan said more than 4,000 guests are invited to attend the ceremony.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited took the Tk 525.61-billion project named 'Mass Rapid Transit Line-01' to develop 31.241-km underground and elevated structure between Airport-Kamalapur and Purbachal-Natunbazar-Pitalganj of Rupganj.
It will have a 19.87-km underground section from the Airport station to Kamalapur station with 12 stations and 11.36-km elevated section from Kuril to Purbachal with nine stations.
With the ceremony, the project office will start the depot land development work on 88.71 acres at Pitalganj and Brahmankhali in Rupganj near Kanchan Bridge.
The DTMCL signed the first contract with a Japan-Bangladesh joint venture for developing the depot.
The Tokyu Construction Company Ltd-Max Infrastructure
JV has been awarded the job at a cost of Tk 6.07 billion. The contract was signed on November 24.
The work includes landfill, soil improvement, drainage channel, peripheral road construction, slope protection and settlement monitoring, which will be done in 30 months after commencement of the work.
The MRT-01 is due for completion by 2026 by setting up underground stations at Airport, Airport Terminal, Khilkhet, Nadda, Natunbazar, North Badda, Badda, Aftabnagar, Rampura, Malibagh, Rajarbagh and Kamalapur.
On the other hand, elevated stations will be built at Natunbazar, Nadda, Joar Sahara, Boalia, Mastul, Sheikh Hasina Cricket Station, Purbachal Centre, Purbachal East and Purbachal Terminal.
The government has planned for a metro-rail network through developing six MRTs in Dhaka city by 2023.
