The authorities are planning to launch metro rail service in the Uttara-Agargaon section by December next year as they fail to meet the deadline. The authorities in May 2019 said the project would be launched on December 16 this year when the country would be celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence. But, physical work remained suspended for over two months last year due to coronavirus restrictions. The project authorities are still struggling to pick up the pace amid the second wave of the pandemic. If the present plan works well city dwellers will get fast transportation service in another 18 months.
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6, the country’s first metro rail system, is being built between the capital’s Uttara and Motijheel at a cost of Tk 22,000 crore. Once complete, the metro rail, with 16 stations, will be able to carry 60,000 people an hour, reducing travel time between Uttara and Motijheel to around 40 minutes. The overall progress of the project was 64.91 per cent in May. The first phase saw 85.74 per cent progress and the second phase 62.52 per cent. The installation of tracks, other equipment and procurement of cars saw 56.04 per cent progress, according to the project’s monthly progress report. As per the time-bound action plan, the government would build a 128.74km metro rail network comprising six elevated and underground lines in Dhaka and its adjacent areas within 2030.
The completion of the elevated metro rail project is expected to expedite the mobility and advancement of the city. In the present age, nations and cities cannot expect to join the global march to development without unhindered speed. In spite of the dislocations created by the frequent changes in infrastructural setups along the metro route, the project didn’t fail to gain the required speed. We ask the ministry concerned to further speed up their activities and complete those by promised deadline.
