11th consignment of Metrorail reaches Mongla port

The 11th consignment - including eight more coaches and four locomotives - of the capital's Metrorail project has arrived at Mongla port.

The vessel, MV Hosei Crown, carrying the latest consignment anchored at jetty number seven of the port around 9.30am on Monday.

According to the port authority, the Panama-flagged vessel left the Japanese port of Kobe on 27 July and is scheduled to leave the port on 23 August after completing the unloading process.

General Manager of Ancient Steam Ship Md Wahiduzzaman said the unloading of 34 packages containing machinery products including eight coaches and four engines for the Metrorail project has started.

"All goods are expected to be released within the next 24 hours. After getting the customs clearance, they will be taken to the Diabari Metrorail depot in Uttara, Dhaka," he added.

Mass Rapid Transit Line-6, the country's first-ever metro rail system, is being built at a cost of around TK 21,985 crore.

Twenty-four metro trains will be required for the route from Uttara to Motijheel. The DMTCL aims to commence the commercial operation of metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon in December next year with eight sets of trains.

The Kawasaki-Mitshubishi Consortium of Japan started the construction of 24 passenger trains and one relief train for MRT-6 in April 2019 under a Tk2,870 crore agreement signed in 2017.

The first set of metro trains arrived in Dhaka on 23 April this year.

To date, some 70 coaches and 34 locomotives for the Metrorail project have arrived in the country through Mongla port, Mongla Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa told The Business Standard.

He said, "Consignments of different mega projects of the government are being imported through the Mongla port as a result of which the income has increased significantly."