Bangladesh signs loan agreement with Japan for metro rail

Bangladesh on yesterday signed a loan agreement with a Japanese development agency for design of the country s first-ever metro rail system, costing $2.8 billion and intended to ease Dhaka s traffic problems.

Traffic in Bangladesh capital, home to 15 million people, is one of the slowest on earth with commuters spending three-to-four hours in jams daily. A mix of 200,000 cars and another half-million cycle-rickshaws clog the streets.

Officials mentioned the proposed 20.1-kilometre (12.5-mile) ground and elevated railway will stretch across Dhaka from north to south with 16 stations and will ferry 4 million individuals daily, reducing the jams significantly.