Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the country's first metro rail on December 28.
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader confirmed the information in a meeting in Dhaka on Thursday.
Earlier on December 12, MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), said that the metro rail will be inaugurated at the end of December.
Stating that the work of “system integration”, which is considered as the last work of metro rail, has already been completed, he said that nothing new has to be done in any of the tests that have been carried out so far.
While 12 trains have been prepared for movement, 10 will carry passengers directly, MAN Siddique said, while the remaining two will be ready for movement at any time at the depot. Officers operating both trains will also be ready. Backup should always be kept keeping in mind so that passengers do not face any problem, he added.
Regarding passenger transport, he said, according to international practice, passengers are not fully transported by metro rail from the first day after its inauguration. The passenger capacity should be increased gradually, so, 100% passengers will be transported within next 2-3 months.
Sources said that the construction of 20.10km long metro rail from Uttara to Motijheel is going on.
Metro rail service will be launched up to Motijheel by December 2023 and Kamalapur by June 2025.