From Uttara to Motijheel in 30 mins!

The Agargaon-Motijheel section of the country’s first metro rail is open to the public from this morning, bringing some relief to the city dwellers facing traffic congestions on the roads every day.

With the opening of this 8km stretch of the MRT Line-6, people can now reach Motijheel from Uttara — the total length of the route being 20.10km – in half an hour, a commute which takes 2-3 hours by road due to heavy traffic.

However, commuters will have to wait a few more months to get the full benefit of the mega structure. For now, the authorities concerned will be able to open three of the seven stations of this section, and the services  will be available for four hours a day.

According to metro rail authorities, trains will be operated between Agargaon and Motijheel every 10 minutes from 7:30am to 11:30am today, while the Uttara-Agargaon route will remain open from 7:30am to 8:30pm.

The three stations in operation are in Farmgate, Secretariat (Press Club) and Motijheel.

Until last Thursday, trains in the Uttara-Agargaon section used to be operated from 8:00am to 8:30pm.

The MRT authorities said three more months will be required to open the remaining four stations and increase the service hours.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday inaugurated the Agargaon-Motijheel section at the Agargaon Metro Station, after which she and some dignitaries took a ride up to Motijheel.

Operated by a female conductor, the vehicle took 24 minutes to reach Motijheel, where Hasina unveiled the inauguration plaque.

“Today, we’re very delighted to open metro rail services between Uttara and Motijheel,” she told reporters on board, adding, “We will extend it up to Kamalapur railway station.”

She expressed gratitude to Japan, the major financer of the Tk 33,472 crore project, the road transport and bridges ministry and all those involved in the metro rail project.

Hasina then addressed a rally organised by the Dhaka city Awami League at the Arambagh intersection.

The PM also unveiled the inauguration plaque of the construction of MRT Line-5 (northern route), kicking off the physical work of the country’s third metro rail.

The 20km line from Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur-10 and Gulshan will be implemented at a cost of Tk 41,239 crore and with a deadline set for 2028.

MRT Line-5 (northern route) is the third of the six planned metro lines the government is going to construct to establish a 140km network in Dhaka and its adjacent areas to reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

Meanwhile, the construction of MRT Line-1, the first underground, the country’s first underground metro rail, started this February.

Bangladesh entered the electricity-run metro rail era with the opening of MRT Line-6 up to Agargaon in December last year.

Since then, the demand for trains on the Agargaon-Motijheel route has increased as the major catchment area runs from Mirpur to Motijheel.