Metro rail: 49.15% work completed, construction progressing quickly

The construction work of the country's first ever metro rail is progressing in full swing by maintaining health guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall 49.15 percent construction of the metro rail is also complete, an official said.

"Workers, technicians, engineers and others are working day and night to complete the construction work of the metro rail from Uttara to Motijheel as overall 49.15 percent construction has been accomplished," Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) MAN Siddique told BSS today.

The physical progress of the first phase of construction from Uttara to Agargaon is 75.5 percent, he said, adding the construction progress of the second phase from Agargaon to Motijheel stands at 42.5 percent.

Currently 10.86-kilometer viaduct out of 11.73-kilometer metro rail between Uttara and Agargaon has become visible. "The construction work of MRT Line-6 under the Fast Track project is going on in full swing," he added.

If the current pace of work continues, the rail project might be completed within December 2022, Siddique said.

According to the project details, rail coaches have been built in Japan to ply Line-6 track from Diabari of Uttara to Motijheel. Coaches are waiting for shipment which will start as soon as the coronavirus situation improves.

Rail tracks are being set up from Diabari to Mirpur section where electric lines are also being installed, it said.

It also said there will be a total of 16 stations on the 21-km route of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 and the digital devices will be used in all stations.

The stations include Uttara North, Uttara Center, Uttara South, Pallabi, Mirpur-11, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Secretariat and Motijheel.

"If everything goes normal, people of the city will be able to travel from Diabari to Motijheel by the metro rail before stipulated time," Siddique said.

He said work is underway to install rail tracks and power lines in Mirpur part. "The areas where viaduct is installed, the rail tracks and power lines are also being set up there," he went on saying.

The metro rail project is being constructed at a cost of Tk 219.85 billion, of which, Japan's aid agency JICA will provide Tk 165 billion.