Metro Rail: Agargaon to Motijheel by Dec 2023

While metro rail operation from Uttara to Agargaon is scheduled to begin in December next year, people have to wait till December 2023 to use the metro to travel to and from Motijheel.

Although the partial operation will be helpful for commuting to and from Uttara and Mirpur, it would have little impact on the capital's overall traffic situation, experts said.

Rather, passengers may face a scarcity of transport options, especially at Agargaon, to go to other parts of the city, because more pressure will be put on other forms of public transport, as people will get off the metro and get on buses. Besides, there is no full-fledged bus stop at Agargaon.

Metro authorities, however, said they have already reached an understanding with Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), which will operate buses from Uttara and Agargaon dedicatedly for metro passengers.

"On basis of the progress made so far, it is possible to meet the target [of operating from Uttara to Agargaon by December 2022]," MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd, which is implementing the metro rail project, said yesterday.

He, however, said the Uttara-Motijheel route will be operational by December 2023.

As part of the preparation, performance test between Uttara and Agargaon will be carried out on Sunday for the first time, he said.

Siddique was speaking at an online news briefing to inform about the progress.

The Mass Rapid Transit Line 6 or MRT-6 is being constructed between Uttara Third Phase to Motijheel at a cost of around Tk 22,000 crores. Once completed, it will be able to transport 60,000 people per hour and would reduce travel time from Uttara to Motijheel from about two hours to only 40 minutes.

PARTIAL OPERATION WILL HAVE LITTLE IMPACT

Prominent transport expert Prof Moazzem Hossain said taking the capital's current traffic situation into account, launching of a single metro line would have very little impact.

"And partial operation of a single line would be just for the sake of launching something," he said.

Authorities will have to launch at least two or three lines to see some impact on traffic, said Prof Moazzem, who teaches at the Buet's civil engineering department.

Talking about the authority's move to launch BRTC bus service,

he said that may help passengers but that Mirpur to Motijheel is the route in demand.

Replying to another question, he said authorities across the globe have to give 10-50 percent subsidies for operating the metro and Bangladesh will have to as well. But, partial operation would increase overhead operational and maintenance costs.

MAN Siddque said they would sign a memorandum of understanding with BRTC soon and would operate a circular bus service centring Agargaon and Uttara.

PHYSICAL WORK OF 2 MORE LINES STARTS 2022

MAN Siddique said they are hopeful about starting physical work of MRT-1, which will be the first underground metro line, in July next year. The line will have two parts -- one will run from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur, and the other from Notun Bazar to Purbachal.

Deadline for the Tk 52,561.43-crore line is 2026.

Besides, physical work of MRT-5 (northern route) would also start in December next year, he said.

The line from Savar's Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur and Gulshan, would be finished by 2028 at an estimated cost of Tk 41,239 crore.