The Uttara North Station-Agargaon section of the metro rail is set to open for the public today, but residents of Dhaka may have to wait another year before they can benefit from the Uttara-Motijheel section, according to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) sources.
Md Zakaria, additional project director (electrical, signal & telecommunication, and track) of the metro rail and joint secretary of DMTCL, said all stations from Uttara to Agargaon have been completed. Metrorail construction is ongoing up to Motijheel, and it is hoped that it will be completed by 2023.
Work on the project was seen to be in progress at the Karwan Bazar, National Press Club, Bijoy Sarani, and Motijheel areas on Wednesday. A worker at Motijheel station said electrical and mechanical work as well as work on the depot and rail coaches remains to be completed and is expected to be finished some time in 2023.
According to DMTCL, overall progress till Wednesday was at about 90%. Progress of the Agargaon to Motijheel section was at 86%.
Till now, a 3.195 km viaduct from Agargaon to Karwan Bazar, Entry/Exits, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) as well as architectural work, and roof sheet installation of three station platforms have been completed. Roof sheet installation work is going on at the Bijoy Sarani station.
Progress is at 91% in the construction of a 4.922 km viaduct and four stations from Karwan Bazar to Motijheel.
The overall progress of the electrical and mechanical system supply and construction work is at 91%. Construction of the building of the Motijheel Receiving Sub-Position (RSS), installation of all electrical equipment and the laying of a 132KV cable has been completed.
The entire section (16.19 truck-kilometers) from Agargaon to Motijheel and the installation of OCS Portal has been completed. Of the 19.89 km of OCS wiring, 13.73 km of wiring has been completed.
Progress in the procurement of rolling stock (rail coaches) and depot equipment is at 85%. Among the 24 train sets, 19 train sets have already reached the depot in the north of Dhaka. The 20th and 21st train sets arrived at Bangladesh's Mongla sea port from Japan's Kobe sea port on November 27.
After customs and VAT work at Mongla Port, the train sets will arrive at the North East Depot from Mongla Sea Port by the end of this week.
A contract for the extension of the 1.16km section from Motijheel to Kamalapur under MRT Line-6 was signed with the contractor on November 28.
