Planning Minister MA Mannan yesterday said that country's first ever metro rail will start running from Uttara to Agargaon in Dhaka from Victory Day (December 16) this year.

He was talking to reporters while observing the progress of metro rail construction work at Uttara's Diabari area in Dhaka.

Although the progress of the work slowed down due to Covid-19 pandemic, construction is now on round the clock, the minister said, adding that the full phase -- from Uttara to Motijheel -- of metro rail would be operational by June 2022.

He said a committee is working to determine ticket prices for the metro rail.

The original implementation period of the project was 2012-2024.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina later directed that metro services from Uttara to Agargaon be made operational by 2019, and from Agargaon to Motijheel by 2020.

Failing to meet the deadline, the authorities in May 2019 said the project would be launched on December 16, 2021, when the country would be celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence.

According to a monthly report, the first phase of the project, from Uttara to Agargaon, saw 80.21 percent progress as of January, while the second phase, from Agargaon to Motijheel, saw 51.26 percent, and the third phase, which refers to installation of the tracks and procurement of the carriages and other equipment, witnessed 46.33 percent progress.

At a press briefing on February 4, MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), said they were working hard to meet their target of launching the full service in December this year.

Yesterday, he said they would be able to confirm the date of launching the service in July.

As per his earlier announcement, authorities might start trial runs of the first metro rail service in July, as the first train is expected to arrive in April.

The trial run might continue for as long as six months, he added.

The second train is likely to reach the depot on June 16, and the third one on August 13, he said.