What the first underground metro rail in Bangladesh will offer

Bangladesh's first underground metro rail, known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-1 or MRT-1, is scheduled to be completed in December 2026, according to MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL).

At a monthly virtual press briefing today, he revealed the features MRT-1 will have:

1.The 31.24 km line will have two parts -- around 19.87 km from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur railway station underground and around 11.36 km elevated from Notun Bazar to Purbachal.

2. It would have 21 stations -- 12 underground and rest elevated.

3. 25 trains would be operated daily on the line.

4. It would take only 24 minutes and 30 seconds to go from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur, 20 minutes and 35 seconds from Natun Bazar to Purbachal, and 40 minutes from Kamalapur to Purbachal.

5. A passenger will be able to catch a train every 2 and a half minutes on the Dhaka airport-Kamalapur route, while wait time between trains on Natun Bazar-Purbachal route would be 4 minutes and 35 seconds.

6. Trains will be operated at 90 kmph on the Dhaka airport-Kamalapur route, and 100 kmph on Natun Bazar-Purbachal route.

7. Each train will have eight coaches and will be able to carry 3,008 passengers.

8. MRT Line-1 will be able to carry 8 lakh passengers daily.

Read more: Physical work of country's first underground metro rail likely to begin in March 2022