Bangladesh to implement two more metro rail projects in Dhaka with Tk 938bn

The government has approved two more projects to expand the metro rail network in Dhaka with an estimated cost of about Tk 938 billion to ease traffic congestions.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 Oct 2019, 12:15 PM
Updated : 15 Oct 2019, 08:24 PM

Under the projects, two mass rapid transit lines spanning from Kamalapur Railway Station to the airport area and Natun Bazar-Purbachal Depot under MRT Line-1, and from Hemayetpur to Vatara route via Mirpur and Gulshan under MRT Line-5, will be established.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council cleared the projects in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday.

Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Limited, which is implementing the first metro rail from Uttara to Motijheel via Mirpur, will also realise the new projects, Planning Minister MA Mannan told the media.

The government has targeted to complete the Kamalapur metro rail project by 2026 and the Hemayetpur-Vatara one by 2028.

MRT-1 is the “biggest” project in the history of Bangladesh’s transport sector, the planning minister said.

DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique promised Hasina in the meeting to complete the project in time and said money will be saved from the proposed cost, Mannan added at the media conference in the ECNEC offices.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, speaking at another media conference in the Secretariat, hoped the MRT projects would free Dhaka from traffic congestions.

“The biggest problem of Dhaka City is traffic jam. It’s a matter of great concern. The MRT Line-6 work is in the final level. Now feasibility studies of the MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 have ended,” he said.

Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA is providing most funds of the projects, he said.

The Padma Bridge is the largest infrastructure project being implemented in Bangladesh now with a total cost of Tk 301.93 billion after revision of the expense several times.

Roopur Nuclear Power Plant is the largest in terms of cost, which is around Tk 1.13 trillion.

MRT-1

The total length of the metro rail project worth Tk 525.61 billion to Kamalapur from the northern parts of the city will be 31.24 kilometres.

Japan will provide Tk 394.5 billion while the rest Tk 131.11 billion will come from government funds.

A 16.21-kilometre span of the lines from Kamalapur to airport will be underground.

The rest 11.36 kilometres will be elevated lines from Kuril to Purbachal Depot.

There will also be 3.65-kilometre underground transition lines from Natunbazar to Kuril.

It will have 12 underground stations and seven on the elevated lines.

For appointment of consultants, the DMTCL will pay Tk 13.9 billion.

MRT-5

The MRT-5 project will link Hemayetpur and Vatara via Aminbazar, Gabtoli, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10, Kachukhet, Banani, Gulshan-2 and Natunbazar.

It is expected to be implemented with Tk 412.38 billion, including Tk 291.17 billion from Japan.

Out of the total 19-kilometre lines, 13 kilometres will be set up underground while the rest 6.6 kilometres will be elevated.

Nine of the 14 stations will be underground while five will be elevated.

CTG METRO RAIL FEASIBILITY STUDY SOON

Quader said Hasina had asked the officials to start feasibility studies on metro rail projects in Chattogram with three MRT lines soon.

The projects with a total length of 54.5 kilometres in the port city are expected to be implemented on the routes from Kalurghat to Airport, City Gate to Shah Amanat Bridge via Nimtala and the third linking AK Khan area and Oxygen, Firingibazar and Panchlaish areas.   

The cost will be around Tk 15.45 billion per kilometre.