Metro rail: New Agargaon-Motijheel route cut commute time to just 25 minutes

The inauguration of the Agargaon-Motijheel metro rail section has finally realized the dream of a faster commute for Dhaka residents, as the inaugurating journey was completed in under thirty minutes which typically spans an hour or more.

Within a mere 25 minutes, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina experienced swift and efficient transport, arriving promptly at the Motijheel station on Saturday.

Her presence at the Dhaka divisional public meeting of the Awami League at Arambagh underscored the newfound accessibility offered by this modern city public transport system.

The unveiled Agargaon-Motijheel section of the metro rail is a significant leap towards completing the country's pioneering transportation project. This extends the country's first-ever metro rail service from its starting point at Uttara to Motijheel.

Envisioned to ease travel between Uttara and Motijheel, spanning 20 kilometers, the elevated line promises a commute time of just 38 minutes, sparing commuters the hassles of the capital's notorious traffic congestions.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri said initially on the Uttara-Motijheel route, the metro will run from 7:30am to 11:30am from Sunday.

He said after 11:30am, the service from Motijheel-Agargaon part will be stopped for now but it will operate up to 8:30pm on Uttara-Agargaon section.

"The length of the Agargaon to Motijheel section is 8.72km. The metro rail will stop at Farmgate, Secretariat and Motijheel stations," he said.

Now the stoppages of the metro rail from Agargaon to Motijheel part are Farmgate, Secretariat (Press Club) and Motijheel stations, Nuri said.

When the all stations of MRT Line-6 will go in operation, it will need only 38 minutes to reach Motijheel from Uttara North station with current 10-minute interval and stoppages at 16 stations including Uttara North, Uttara Centre, Uttara South, Pallabi, Mirpur 11, Mirpur 10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University, Secretariat and Motijhel.

He said all stations of the line-6 will be opened by December and time of service will also be extended in phases in quickest possible time.

The cost of the country’s first-ever metro rail project stands at Tk33,472 crore. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided Tk19,719 crore in the form of a loan to support the project, while the Government of Bangladesh funded the remaining amount.

In the beginning, the estimated cost of this project was about Tk21,000 crore. The cost has increased due to the construction of an additional 1.6 km section from Motijheel to Kamalapur, the acquisition of new land for each station, and the addition of various new facilities.

The main construction work of the project started in 2017.