Metrorail executes test run successfully

The Metrorail has conducted its first performance test properly on the viaduct on Sunday, setting a new milestone in the country’s history of rail transport.

The rail travelled 4.5 kilometres between its depots at Uttara 3rd phase and Pallabi in Mirpur covering four stations out of a total 16 without any passenger.

The total Metrorail route spans 20.10 kilometres from Uttara to Motijheel.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the project in association with the Bangladesh government.

Once completed, the train will travel the 20.10-kilometre route in 38 minutes, carrying 60,000 passengers at a time.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader inaugurated the test run on the main track around 11:50am as the chief guest of the event held at the depot.

In his address, Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the landmark Metrorail for mass people in December 2022.

“Three mega projects — Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel and Metrorail — will start off simultaneously by next year,” he said.

The general secretary of the ruling Awami League pointed out that the much-hyped Metrorail is not a dream anymore, rather it is a reality made possible by the premier.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) has been implementing the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 from 2012 which is scheduled to be completed by 2024 in phases.

DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique said all 24 trains will be subject to test gradually. The test is important to provide bug fixes if any.

All the trains will move at 100km per hour every 3:30 minutes during peak hours. So far a total of four trains have arrived in Bangladesh from Japan.

The first consignment of Metrorail coaches arrived in Dhaka on April 21 this year.

Metrorail Project’s Additional Director Md Zakaria told The Business Post during the test run the train travelled at a maximum speed of 25km per hour.

The project started in 2012 while construction began on June 26, 2016 at a cost of Tk 21,985 crore.

The Metrorail route was extended to another 1.16km from Motijheel to Kamalapur following a directive from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The government had earlier planned to inaugurate the first phase of the Metrorail from Uttara to Agargaon by December 2021 to mark the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence.

But the plan was later revised, extending the deadline to December 2022 due to the Covid-19 situation, which hampered the project work significantly, said MAN Siddique.

According to the monthly progress report in July, the overall progress of the fast-track project was 68.49 per cent. The first phase from Uttara to Agargaon saw 88.18 per cent progress.

The authorities have completed social study, household survey, land acquisition plan, resettlement action plan, environment impact assessment and basic design in the meantime, according to the progress report.

The Metrorail will pick and drop passengers at 16 stations, which are Uttara North, Uttara Centre, Uttara South, Pallabi, Mirpur 11, Mirpur 10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbag, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Secretariat and Motijheel.