The inauguration of the country’s first-ever metro rail service in December on the Uttara-Agargaon line became uncertain after the project consultants proposed at least three months of training for train operators before the commercial run.

The managing director of the project implementing company Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, MAN Siddique, told New Age that they would run the train commercially considering all aspects.

The DMTCL, under the road transport and bridges ministry, has been implementing the Mass Rapid Transit Line 6 project, popularly known as the metro rail, since 2012 with financial and technical assistance from Japan.

Officials said that the metro train sets would be handed over to the DMTCL by December 14.

In Japan, train operators get six months of training before getting a licence for commercial running. Considering the Bangladesh perspective consultants said it could be reduced to three months of training but no less than that, said officials.

The proposal, which was given to make the train operators familiar with the metro rail track and ensure passenger safety, is likely to increase the project costs, they said.

If DMTCL agrees to the proposal, the new date for commercial operation on the Uttara-Agargaon route could be March 26, 2023, according to officials.

‘The consultants give many proposals, we receive some and reject some,’ said MAN Siddique, adding that the DMTCL board and the ministry will make the final call in this regard.

The 24 train operators, appointed by the DMTCL, have already completed three types of training – technical training in India and electrical training at Ghorashal and Gazipur areas in Bangladesh, he said.

He added that the train operators also received foundation course training and currently they were receiving on-the-job training.

‘We have a target to conclude the system integration test by the end of this month or in the middle of next month. Once everything is completed, we will run the train commercially,’ he said.

The latest batch of fifteen DMTCL officials, including some train operators, got training between October 25 and November 1 in Japan under the project on technical assistance for the safety management system.

The training, which started in January 2021, is being conducted jointly by NIPPON KOEI and the Osaka Metro Services Technical Assistance Project, with fund from Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The consultants also proposed to create separate licencing authorities for train operators, though DMTCL did not agree.

Construction of the first seven out of a total of nine stations under the first phase has been completed, while work on the other two stations is ongoing.

Out of the total of 24 train sets for the metro rail, 19 sets have already arrived at the depot in the Uttara area.

As per the initial plan, the 20.1km elevated metro rail line between Uttara and Motijheel follows the route via Pallabi, Rokeya Sarani, Khamarbari, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University Teacher-Student Centre, Doyel Chatwar, and Topkhana Road at a cost of Tk 33,471.99 crore with a deadline of December 2025.

Following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office, the company extended the line by 1.16km up to Kamalapur.

Initially, under the first phase, the 11.73-kilometre-long Uttara–Agargaon route was scheduled to be opened for commercial use in 2019, which was later deferred to December 2021, and finally to December this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Till October of this year, the overall progress of the construction of Line 6 was 83.68 per cent including 94.57 per cent progress in the civil works on the Uttara-Agargaon route.

The Uttara–Motijheel route is scheduled to be opened for commercial use in December 2023.