Bangladesh has had numerous long-term projects in the pipeline, which could significantly improve the way we operate as a nation. One of the most anticipated projects in this regard, the Metro Rail project, has been especially urgent in order to ease the worsening traffic congestion that residents of Dhaka city have been battling for too long now.
To that end, it is a relief that construction work on the underground metro rail is set to commence in December. A Japan-Bangladesh joint venture of Tokyu Construction Company Ltd and Max Infrastructure Ltd have been appointed to develop the depot area, as stated after the contract signing on Wednesday.
The MRT-1 depot will cover 88.71 acres of land, facilitating all metro trains running on the Airport and Purbachal routes.
Upon completion -- which is estimated to be in 2026, as many as 25 trains are expected to run at 90kmph every day, and can provide safe and swift commute facilities for 800,000 passengers per day.
This is extremely promising as, once operational, the metro rail will substantially reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and subsequently alleviate the daily traffic woes of frequent commuters.
Besides, the project can potentially have a number of benefits for city-dwellers as well as our country, such as improving the air quality, bringing down travel time and costs, and establishing some much needed order to the commute system in the capital.
Traffic congestion has put a strain on our people and cost us a lot of time and money, which could have been much better utilized to advance further as a nation. Thus, the construction of the metro rail is especially encouraging, as it will set us back in motion on our path to development.
The authorities involved must be diligent in ensuring that the project is completed meticulously and in a timely manner, so our people are finally granted a safe and sustainable solution to their travel woes.
