Wasif Mohammad Abdullah, a 34-year-old banker, was thrilled to take his first trip this month on Dhaka's new metro rail line while visiting the northern part of the Bangladeshi capital, one of the world's most crowded cities.
"I have a car, but I plan to use the metro rail for daily commuting as an affordable, convenient transport mode when the route extends to the southern part of the city where I work," he said, gazing at the city flashing by from the sleek new train car.
In late December, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first section of the line, built by the government-owned Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited with financial support from the Japanese government. The remaining part of this first elevated line is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with plans for five more metro rail corridors to be built across the sprawling metropolitan region.