The test run of the first electrical metro train in Bangladesh was conducted on Tuesday in Dhaka. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader inaugurated the metro rail test run virtually.
Six coaches of the metro train imported from Japan left the workshop inside the metro rail workshop in Diabari in Dhaka to travel about 500 metres at slow speed.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Obaidul Quader said that metro rail is no more a dream. It is a reality now. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito was also present on the occasion at the test site. He said in a tweet that the first metro and electrified train in Bangladesh will be a symbol of the changing face of Dhaka.
After the ‘receiving inspection’, the trains will go through a functional test followed by a performance test in August.However, the start of the metro services in Dhaka may take another six months to an year to complete all the required tests and trail runs.
Bangladesh is building a 21 km long Mass Rapid Transit system from the capital’s Uttara to Motijheel at a cost of Tk 22,000 crore. The metro line MRT 6 will have 16 stations. It will substantially reduce the travel time between the two points.
