Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the construction works of the country’s first ever underground metro rail Mass Rapid Transit Line-1 (MRT Line-1) on February 2 this year. “The Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the construction works of the MRT Line-1 at 11am on February 2 at sector-4, Purbachal,” Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) told BSS on Monday.

He said that the government will construct 31.241-km first ever underground and elevated MRT Line-1 between Airport-Kamalapur and Purbachal-Natun Bazar-Pitalganj, Rupganj route. The DMTCL will implement the mega project, he added. According to the project details, as part of the MRT Line-1 plan, the first rail depot will be constructed in Pitalganj area in Narayanganj and all preparations have been completed for inauguration of construction works.

It said that part one of MRT Line-1 is: Airport Route (Airport to Kamalapur) having 19.872 km long underground with 12 stations. The part two is Purbachal Route (Natun Bazar to Pitalganj Depot, Rupganj) having 11.369 km elevated with nine stations, of which seven stations will be overhead, while Natun Bazar and Nadda stations will be underground as part of the airport route. The managing director said the Natun Bazar station will have inter-change facility with MRT Line-5 (Northern Route) from where passengers will have scope for going to Airport route from Purbachal or Purnachal route to Airport using the inter-change.

The project details said the MRT Line-1 will take 24 minutes to travel from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur, with breaks at 12 underground stations and 20 minutes to travel from Notun Bazar to Purbachal with breaks at seven stations. It also said that after MRT Line-1 was launched, this route would allow eight lakh passengers to travel. MRT Line-1 underground stations will have three floors. The ticket counter and other facilities will be located on the first basement level.

The platform will be on the second level. The ticket counter and platform for the elevated station will be on the third floor. Both the elevated and underground stations will have lifts, stairs and escalators. The DMTCL signed contracts with Japan’s Tokyo Construction Company Limited and Bangladesh’s Max Infrastructure Limited for the project. The project will be implemented in 12 packages.