Bangladesh
Metrorail Journey Awami League government to better image with metro rail: Bloomberg
Dhaka, December 29: After Padma Setu one more expectation was fulfilled. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-desired metro rail in the city of Dhaka. Through this, the suffering of the people of Dhaka will be reduced a lot. And because of that, the image of Awami League government will shine. This is what influential American media Bloomberg said after the inauguration of the first metro rail in Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 28).
According to the news, the Metrorail project can bring significant changes in the way people travel in Dhaka. Besides, its inauguration will also give much-needed political advantage to Sheikh Hasina's government. Bangladesh National Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in January 2024. But in the meantime, the South Asian country is facing dwindling foreign exchange reserves, inflation and energy crisis. As a result, Sheikh Hasina and her party are under pressure.
At the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday (December 28), the Prime Minister said, "Metrorail has added another feather to the crown of Bangladesh and it is another milestone of development." On that day, Sheikh Hasina herself traveled on the train as the first passenger. It will be opened for public from next Thursday.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is responsible for the construction and management of metro rail in Dhaka. The company said, initially, the metro rail will run from Uttara to Agargaon. It will take 10 minutes and 10 seconds to cover this distance of 12 kilometers by metro rail.
Meanwhile, the metro rail ticket also has a touch of modernity. There will be no paper tickets for metro rail travel. You have to buy the card from the metro rail station. Initially two types of cards will be available at the station. Permanent and Single Journey cards. Initially, cards can be collected from Uttara and Agargaon stations. The fare for this route is 60 taka.
In July 2012, Dhaka Metrorail project was accepted. Its initial implementation period was till June 2024. But later it was extended till December 31, 2025. But a part of the project was inaugurated before the end of the period. Once fully operational, the Metrorail will be able to transport 60,000 passengers per hour and 500,000 passengers per day.
