DHAKA (METRO RAIL NEWS): On a section of the 20.1-kilometre project known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-6, Bangladesh’s first metro train made its trial run on Sunday in the capital Dhaka (MRT 6).
Bangladeshi Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader kicked began the test run at the Dhaka depot.
A train with six carriages made the journey from its depot to its destination without picking up any passengers after passing through three stations.
According to the minister, if all testing and inspections go well, the train will be ready for public use next year, at the same time as the country’s two other massive infrastructure projects, the Padma Bridge and the Karnaphuli River Tunnel, both of which are being built by Chinese companies.
The 20.1-kilometre metro rail line, divided into eight packages, is being built in conjunction with businesses from China, Japan, and other nations by Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), a Bangladeshi state-owned enterprise established to develop metro rail lines across Dhaka.
Line-6 is made up of 16 elevated stations and light rail tracks that are powered by electricity.
In May 2017, the Chinese state-owned Sinohydro Corporation Limited and the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, a Thai construction firm, were awarded contracts to build the MRT Line-6’s civil infrastructure.
Bangladesh signed a financing agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in February 2013 to fund the metro rail project, which would be constructed in three parts.
An official previously stated that the building of metro rail overhead can boost the Bangladeshi government’s attempts to alleviate traffic congestion in Dhaka.
When the project is completed, a train with six air-conditioned capacious coaches will run every four minutes, transporting around 60,000 passengers each hour.
