The Japanese Embassy in Dhaka has said the opening of metro rail, with Japanese support, marks a historic moment.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and as such this moment is marked in history, the embassy said.

The MRT was built with Japanese ODA (yen loan), and today nine stations from Uttara north station to Agargaon station on Line-6 were inaugurated.

The country's first-ever elevated metro rail will provide safe, rapid, comfortable and timely mass transit service in Dhaka.

In the future, the MRT Line-6 will be networked with lines 1 and 5, which are scheduled to be completed in 2029.

The MRT network is expected to alleviate chronic urban traffic congestion and reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts, said the Embassy today.