By Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo

DHAKA, Nov 4, 2023 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the second phase of the much-desired metro rail service from Agargaon to Motijheel today.

 "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Agargaon-Motijheel section at 2.30pm today from the Agargaon station. Then, she will take the metro to Motijheel for another inaugural programme at the Motijheel station," said Managing Director of DMTCL MAN Siddique.

 The premier will also inaugurate the construction work of MRT Line-5 (Northern route), which will be a 20-km line from Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur-10, Gulshan. The deadline for the Taka 41,239 crore project is 2028.

Commuters will be able to take the train from Uttara to Motijheel starting November 5, said Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).
 
He said that regular metro service from Uttara to Agargaon will be suspended on Saturday (November 4) due to the inaugural ceremony.
 
Earlier, on December 28, the Prime Minister inaugurated the first phase of the first ever metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon.

Besides, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that the metro rail will stop at three stations on Agargaon-Motijheel section.

"The length of the Agargaon to Motijheel section is 8.72km. The metro rail will stop at Farmgate, Secretariat and Motijheel stations," he said.

On the Uttara-Motijheel route, the metro will run daily from 7:30am to 11:30am from 5 November, the minister said.

He also added that after 11:30am, metro rail movement will be stopped on the Motijheel-Agargaon route, while it will operate up to 8:30pm in the Uttara-Agargaon section.

Considering convenience, the route has been extended by 1.16 km from Motijheel to Kamalapur, Quader said the extended portion will be completed by June 2024.

Each train can run at a speed of 100 to 110 km with 2,300 passengers. However, the speed will be lower in areas with bends.

After assuming power in 2009, the Awami League government took various initiatives to reduce the pressure on the capital. Initiatives were taken to build metro rail across the capital to ease traffic congestion, according to the project details.

The metro rail will be able to carry 60 thousand passengers per hour and half a million passengers per day and one train will arrive at each station every four minutes.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been constructing the metro rail and providing soft loan to the project. The JICA gave Taka 19,500 crore for the project.