Metro Rail is not a dream but a reality now. We are delighted to share with you that we are approaching towards Golden Bangal, the dream of Bangubandhu Sheikh Mojibur Rahman, the father of the nation, under the visionary leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Government of Bangladesh has adopted a Time-bound Action Plan 2030 to establish a robust Network of 6 Metro Rail Lines covering the distance of 129.901 kilometers (68.729 kilometers elevated and 61.172 kilometers underground) having 105 (elevated 52 and underground 53) Metro Rail stations with a view to reducing the traffic congestion and improving the environment of Dhaka City and its adjacent areas. In this connection, a government owned Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) was incorporated on 3 June 2013 under the Company Act 1994 to establish, operate and maintain including planning, survey, designing, development, construction and financing of a modern Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) or Metro Rail system.
Under the Time-bound action plan, the construction of the Fast Track MRT Line-6 Project, the first ever elevated Metro Rail of Bangladesh was undertaken with the targeted completion period of 2012-2024. The 20.10 kilometers long MRT Line-6 will have 16 stations from Uttara to Motijheel with the capacity of carrying 60,000 passengers per hour. The travel time for this journey is 38 minutes. In line with the Time-bound Action Plan, the construction of the first ever Metro Rail of Bangladesh is ongoing in full swing. Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Telecommunication and Rolling Stocks works are running ahead of schedule. Performance Tests of Metro Trains are being conducted regularly to achieve the early commissioning target. The Government is looking forward to formally inaugurate the first Metro Rail of Bangladesh from Uttara to Agargaon on 16 December 2022. Detailed design and land acquisition is in progress to extend MRT Line-6 by 1.16 km from Motijheel to Kamalapur following the directives of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
We are happy to assure that Dhaka Metro Rail will have every facility like the developed countries to ensure safe, reliable, time-saving and comfortable commuting. In each metro train there will be a dedicated coach for women. In Metro Rail stations there are provisions of separate washroom for the female passengers with baby diaper changing facility. There will be reserved seats in Metro Rail for pregnant women and elderly passengers. In the Dhaka metro rail system, there will be every facility for ensuring accessibility for persons with special needs. It is worth mentioning here that MRT will also be environmentally sustainable as MRT Line-6 alone will reduce 2,02,762 tons of carbon emission annually.
Metro Rail is an integrated activity of various engineering departments. After the implementation of the Time-bound Action Plan 2030, a total of about 50,000 new Graduate Engineers and Field Engineers will be employed under DMTCL and industries to be established for forward and backward linkage activities.
The progress to construct other MRT Lines viz. 31.241 kilometers long MRT Line-1 by 2026, 20 kilometers long MRT Line-5: Northern Route by 2028 and 17.40 kilometers long MRT Line-5: Southern Route by 2030 is at different stages maintaining to targets of Time-bound Action Plan 2030.
I would like to thank the city dwellers for their continuous support in making Metro Rail a success. With these few words of optimism, let me wish Happy New Year to the InCAP team and all the readers of the InCAP.
M. A. N. Siddique
Former Secretary to the Government
Managing Director
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited
