New Delhi: Bangladesh’s first urban railway, which runs through the country’s capital of Dhaka and was built with support from Japan, partially opened on Wednesday.

A ceremony was held the same day to mark the opening of a 12-kilometer section of the Dhaka Metro railway, with the attendance of Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh.

The new railway is expected to help ease traffic congestion and air pollution that have become serious in the capital city, where over 20 million people live.

The construction of Dhaka Metro was partially financed by low-interest yen loans from the Japanese government and involved multiple Japanese companies that offered expertise in railway operations acquired in Japan.

Dhaka Metro’s train cars were manufactured by Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

They are equipped with large capacity air conditioning units, in consideration of the hot and humid environment in Bangladesh.

The country’s first female train operator was hired for the opening of Dhaka Metro, whose train cars include women-only cars.

According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency, loan assistance from Japan covers nearly 60 pct of some 435.2 billion yen in total project costs for the newly opened Dhaka Metro section.

At a rail yard of Dhaka Metro, a cenotaph has been built for seven Japanese who were involved in the railway project and were killed in the 2016 Dhaka terrorist attack.

The cenotaph is planned to be moved to a new train station.

JIJI Press