<p style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday launched the construction of the country's first-ever underground metro rail, hailing it as another milestone in Bangladesh's journey towards progress under her leadership.</b><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“Another milestone has been set up in the development journey of Bangladesh. We’ve opened the construction work of underground metro rail,” she said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The premier was addressing a civic rally arranged at Purbachal on the outskirts of Dhaka city to mark the historic inauguration of construction work of Mass Rapid Transit Line-1 (MRT-1), the country's first-ever underground metro project.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">She opened the construction work of the 31.241-km MRT Line-1, unveiling its inaugural plaque there in Rupganj under Narayanganj.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The MRT Line-1 having both underground and elevated facilities will be constructed at an estimated cost of Tk 52,561.43 crore by 2026.</p><p style="text-align: justify; "> Hasina said Bangladesh is marching towards prosperity at an indomitable space as per the slogan ‘Bangladesh on the march towards prosperity,’ which was announced in her party’s 2018 election manifesto.  </p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“We keep our promises one by one,” she said, adding that her government implemented the Vision-2021 as per its commitment announced before the 2008 election as well as kept another commitment made in its 2018 election manifesto by construction of metro rail to ease traffic congestion.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“If Awami League makes any promise, it will keep it,” she said.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">AL now gets votes winning hearts of the people through work and deeds: PM</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said the BNP-Jamaat alliance  secured only 30 seats out of 300  in the 2008 parliamentary election.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">She said the people now vote for the Awami League as her government worked for the welfare of the people for so many years. </p><p style="text-align: justify; ">“We’re ensured the well-being of the people. So, the people are voting for us. We’re getting the trust and confidence of the people. We’re getting votes, winning the hearts of the people through our work,” she added.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Referring to Wednesda's parliamentary by-elections, she said ‘Boat,’ the electoral symbol of Awami League won in by-polls in Bogura and Chapainawabganj as well.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The AL chief extended sincere thanks to those who voted for the boat.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The first underground metro line will have two parts -- a 19.872-km part from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur (Airport route) and an around 11.37-km elevated line from Natun Bazar to Purbachal (Purbachal route).</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The airport route includes 16.4-km underground with 12 stations, while the purbachal route includes seven stations.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">To implement the MRT Line-1, Japan International Cooperation (JICA) will finance Tk 39,450.32 crore, while the rest Tk 13,111.11 crore will be drawn from the government’s fund.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Some eight lakh passengers will be able to travel through the MRT Line-1 every day. Passengers will take only 25 minutes to travel from Airport to Kamalapur with breaks at 12 underground stations and 21 minutes from Natun Bazar to Purbachal with breaks at seven stations.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Besides, passengers will be able to reach Purbachal from Kamalapur with an interchange in Natun Bazar station within only 40 minutes with breaks at 16 stations.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">A total of six metro rail routes will be inaugurated in the capital city Dhaka by 2030.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the MRT line-1 project at Tk 52,561.43 crore in 2019.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">On December 28 last year the prime minister opened the operation of the country's first ever metro rail service on the Uttara-Agargaon part of MRT Line-6 (Uttara-Agargaon-Farmgate-TSC-Motijheel-Kamalapur). The work of MRT-6 line till Motijheel will be completed by December 2023 and will be extended to Kamalapur by June 2025.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The construction work of MRT-5 (northern route) will be inaugurated in July 2023. MRT-5 (northern route) line will be from Savar's Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur and Gulshan.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader presided over the event, while Textiles and Jute Minister and local MP Golam Dastagir Gazi, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori, Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) MAN Siddique and Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh Ichiguchi Tomohide spoke on the occasion.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Narayanganj City Corporation Mayor  Salina Hayat Ivy, Bagerhat-1 MP Sk. Helal Uddin, local Narayanganj MPs Shamim Osman, AKM Salim Osman, Nazrul Islam Babu and Leakoat Hossain Khoka were present on the dais. UNB</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</p>