Bangladeshi PM launches Metro work in Dhaka

Dhaka, June 26: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday inaugurated construction work for the country's first Metro rail service in Dhaka.

The first 11 km of the $2.5 billion project, which is expected to transport 60,000 passengers an hour, would be completed by 2019 and 4.4 km by 2020, Xinhua news agency reported.

An official earlier said the overhead construction of Metro line can help the Bangladeshi government's efforts to ease traffic gridlock in Dhaka which has only 436 km of four-lane and 1,408 km of two-lane roads.

Dhaka has been experiencing severe traffic jams, creating untold suffering for commuters.

IANS