by Staff Correspondent,  

Dhaka; Authorities in Bangladesh are set to begin construction of the country’s first-ever underground metro rail on February 2, officials said on Monday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the 31.241-kmMass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-1, which will be both underground and elevated.

The route will be from Airport-Kamalapur to Purbachal-Natun Bazar-Pitalganj, Rupganj.

State-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported quoting an official at the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) that the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the construction work at Sector 4 of Purbachal on Thursday.

The part one of MRT Line-1 is: Airport Route (Airport to Kamalapur) having 19.872 km long underground with 12 stations.

 The second part is Purbachal Route (Natun Bazar to Pitalganj Depot of Rupganj in Narayanganj district) having 11.369 km elevated with nine stations, of which seven stations will be overhead.

Natun Bazar, having the interchange facilities, and Nadda stations will be underground as part of the airport route.

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.

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.

Both the elevated and underground stations will have lifts, stairs and escalators, according to the plan of the project, which will be implemented by DMTCL with the assistance from the Japan’s Tokyo Construction Company Limited and Bangladesh’s Max Infrastructure Limited.

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