The country’s first-ever metro rail service was slated to be launched in 2024 but due to government’s special measures to expedite the project, it’s now expected to be kicked off by December 2019.
The implementation agency of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), is working round the clock to finish the Uttara-Agargaon section of the metro rail project.
Construction of the rest of the route — from Agargaon to Motijheel, will be completed by December 2020, ahead of schedule.
“The project is progressing smoothly. MRT Line-6 is being constructed to make life easier for everyone in Dhaka. It will run all the way from Uttara to Motijheel, covering a distance of 20km, with 16 stations along the way,” DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique told Dhaka Tribune.
The first span of the metro rail was installed between two pillars at the starting point of the project in Diyabari, Uttara, at the beginning of April this year. The second span will be installed at Agargaon, shortly. A total of 770 spans will be set along the 20.1km route.
During a recent visit, the reporter found that the construction work of metro rail is progressing rapidly—as a fast track project to mitigate Dhaka’s immense traffic.
A barrier is being used to prevent road accidents on the project site. There are barbed wire fences for added protection. Passengers and pedestrians can move safely beside the project area at Rokeya Sarani and Pallabi.
A metro rail official said that people will get metro services from next year, and that a massive drive is in operation to implement the entire project by 2020.
Around 60,000 passengers will be able to move, in an hour, using the metro rail. In 2021, an estimated 500,000 people will commute by MRT Line-6 every day,” officials said.
According a DMTCL official, to maintain and use MRT Line-6 properly, an international-standard rolling stock will be deployed. The line will feature 24 sets of trains, and each set, initially, will consist of six cars—with a plan to expand them to eight cars per set in the future.
On average, the viaduct of MRT Line-6 will be 10.4m high. In order to reduce vibration and noise, Floating Slab Track (FLS), Continuous Welded Rails (CWR), and Noise Barrier walls will be installed wherever necessary, the official added.