The Daily Morning Voice Online Desk: The Uttara North Station near Diabari yesterday was thronging with staffers, officials and engineers for preparations, as the country’s first-ever metro rail service is expected to be launched commercially by the end of this month. The physical work of the station is almost complete, with four staircases, four escalators and three lifts attached to the station ready to take the passengers to the ticketing booths on the first floor and then to the second-floor platforms. Inside the station, there are three ticket-vending machines, from which passengers will be able to collect one-time tickets and refill their MRT cards. There is a separate booth for collecting tickets manually. Visiting the station, this correspondent saw preparations going on in full-swing. The authorities concerned have already written to the prime minister asking for her time for the inauguration. MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd, the implementing agency of the fast-track project, said, “We will be fully ready within the third week of this month [for the launch] and it would be inaugurated on the day set by the prime minister.” Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is providing a soft loan for the Tk 33,472 crore project, yesterday arranged a press tour at the metro rail depot and Uttara North Station. Representatives of contractors and consulting firms involved in the project, formally known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT Line-6), demonstrated different elements of services and showed their readiness for partial commercial operation. As per the pre-announcement, around 12km line from Uttara to Agargaon would be launched in December this year, while the rest eight km by December next and the one km extended part from Motijheel to Kamalapur by June 2025. The original cost of the project was Tk 21,985 crore, but it rose to Tk 33,472 crore after revisions. The escalation was mainly due to acquiring new land to change the station design and building the extended part. Siddique said they have started service trials from December 4, which are expected to be completed within 15 days. Dry runs are expected to start from December 18 or 19. The service trial is the final checkup after the system integration, while the dry runs mean operating the trains without passengers to ensure every aspect is ready, officials said. The MD said that, as per the international practice, the metro trains will initially operate with less than capacity and an increased “dwelling time” — the time a train is stationary for boarding and disembarking. The “dwelling time” will be one to two minutes at the beginning, but will eventually be reduced to 30 seconds once the people are accustomed. He said once in full-fledged operation, the trains will arrive in about three-and-half-minute intervals.  “We will go for full-fledged operation within three months.” Siddique said 10 sets of metro trains are ready for the partial operation, while two more are on stand-by. They will start selling MRT cards, for regular users, once they get the inauguration date, he said, adding that the cards will initially be sold only at the stations, but later can be refilled at other dedicated establishments. Ichiguchi Tomohide, chief representative of JICA Bangladesh Office, said the MRT Line-6 is one of the most successful projects being implemented with JICA assistance.