Metro rail: Entire 20.1km viaduct becomes visible Thursday

The entire 20.1-kilometre viaduct of the country's first metro rail project is set to become visible on Thursday with the installation of a segment of its last span near the National Press Club, the top official of the project implementing agency has said.

"We are going to complete the construction of viaduct-structure tomorrow [Thursday] morning," MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, told The Business Standard last night.

Expressing joy over the breakthrough, he said this would be a milestone in launching the long-cherished metro rail in the capital. "We are working hard to implement the project fast."

There would not be any in-person programme regarding the viaduct installation completion today due to the deteriorating Covid-19 situation. Instead, a virtual press briefing is scheduled to be held in the afternoon, after the installation.

The rail line titled "Mass Rapid Transit Line 6" is being constructed from Uttara Sector-3 to Motijheel. The viaduct of the Uttara to Agargaon section was completed in February 2021 and commercial operation of the section is scheduled to start in December this year.

The full rail line is supposed to be operational by the next year, as per the Dhaka Mass Transit's announcement.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed to expand the rail line to Kamalapur, which will increase the length of the line by 1.6 km.

Once operational, the metro rail will be able to transport 60,000 people per hour and reduce travel time from Uttara to Motijheel from about two hours to only 40 minutes.

The completion of the MRT line is believed to raise GDP growth by 1%. At the same time, a huge amount of people will be employed.

The metro rail will reduce traffic congestion as well as environmental damage in Dhaka.