Bangladesh gears up to launch its first metrorail on golden jubilee of independence

The government has quickened the pace of the construction of Dhaka metrorail with an eye to launch the rapid transit system in 2021, the year Bangladesh celebrates its golden jubilee.

The deadline has been brought three years forward and the authorities are facing huge logistical and operational obstacles posed by the coronavirus crisis, but the engineers and workers have continued the construction by following health rules.

The 11.29 km part of metrorail called MRT-6 spanning from Uttara to Agargaon was to be completed in 2021, while the other 10 km part from Agargaon to Motijheel was scheduled to be wrapped up in 2023.

With the new target, the entire metrorail is expected to be visible by 2021, says MAN Siddique, the managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited or DMTCL.

To meet the new deadline, the government decided to arrange special flights to ferry in the experts and consultants of the projects, who got stranded at home and abroad due to the pandemic.

At least 60 percent of the experts and consultants rejoined the project, most of whom are Japanese nationals.

A specialised COVID-19 hospital has been opened for them in the project area, Siddique said.

“We have planned to work for 24 hours a day to meet the deadline next year. Especially, we plan to do most of the work during night. Work will be done in daytime too," said Siddique.

The ECNEC approved the Tk 219.85 billion project in December, 2012 with the previous deadlines.

The average progress of the project, however, stood at 52.24 percent as of October this year.

The roofs of Uttara Centre and South stations in Diabari have been constructed with the engineers and workers busy in the last-minute work.

The metrorail construction slowed down from April to June when COVID-19 infections surged in the country, said engineer Shamsuzzaman Saqlain. The work is going on in full swing over the past days and weeks after the authorities increased workforce and arranged a hospital and isolation facilities.

Installation of viaducts on the tracks from Uttara to Agargaon, which is scheduled to end in 2021, is almost done.

Workers are cementing the roof of Agargaon station, while a series of pier caps are being installed at Farmgate.

“It may not get done exactly in one year; we may need six more months to complete the project,” said Ripon Mahmud, site engineer of the 5th package of the project.

The progress of the metrorail project implemented under eight packages are as follows:

PACKAGE-1 (LAND DEVELOPMENT IN DEPOT AREA):

The work began in September 2016 and ended on Jan 31, 2018, nine months prior to the deadline.

PACKAGE-2 ( INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN DEPOT AREA):

The infrastructural development in depot area began in September in 2017 and 74 percent of the work has been completed.

PACKAGES 3 AND 4 (INSTALATION OF 11.73 KM VIADUCTS AND CONSTRUCTION OF NINE STATIONS):

A contractor company has been assigned to install viaducts on 6.27 km rail lines under the two packages. The package made 75 percent progress after the work started in August 2017.

At least 392 among the 393 pier heads and 10.93 km of 11.73 km viaduct are already visible.

Construction of sub-structures for nine stations have been completed. Roofs have been constructed for Uttara Centre and Uttara South stations. Roofs of Uttara North, Pallabi, Kazipara and Shewrapara stations are under construction.

Platforms of Uttara South and Centre stations and steel structures in Uttara South station are under construction.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing are continuing in Uttara Centre, and South stations.

Electric substation, signalling and telecommunication and station controller room are under construction in Uttara North, Centre and South stations in a bid to hand over the stations to package 7.

PACKAGE 5 (CONSTRUCTION OF 3.19 KM VIADUCT AND 3 STATIONS FROM AGARGAON TO KARWANBAZAR):

Service transfer, trial trench test pile and permanent board piling have completed under the package that kicked off in August 2018.

At least 102 among the 106 pier columns have been constructed under the project. Also, construction of 128 pile caps have been completed under the package.

Substructure of Farmgate station is continuing now. Also, construction of 19 among the 115 station columns and 65 among 90 pier heads has been completed in this package.

Construction work of Metrorail Exhibition and Information Centre under the package is 98 percent complete. The overall progress of the package is 50.18 percent.

PACKAGE 6 (CONSTRUCTION OF 4.92KM VIADUCT AND FOUR STATIONS FROM KARWANBAZAR TO MOTIJHEEL):

Service transfer, check boring construction, trial trench, test pile and all permanent board pile, 114 pier columns and substructure construction of Dhaka University station have started under the project. At least seven among the 130 station columns are constructed.

In this part of the project, construction of 137 pile caps out of 298, 100 out of 136 pier heads have completed. The overall progress of the package is 51.12 percent.

PACKAGE 7 (ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SYSTEM):

Electrical and mechanical systems are being developed under this package. Grid substation bays have been set up in Tongi and Maniknagar while construction and machinery installation in receiving substation in Uttara depot have completed.

Motijheel receiving substation is under construction. Two out of 11 rail tracks have been installed inside the workshop shade in the depot.

Welding of 862 of 2,678 rail joint on the viaduct over main line has been completed. A 3.92 km long rail track is installed in the depot already.

A 132 Kv underground cable has been installed from DESCO substation to Uttara receiving station to ensure power supply to the project.

The overall progress of the package is 51 percent.

PACKAGE 8 (RAIL COACH AND EQUIPMENT FOR DEPOT):

Making of train cars started in Japan in February 2019 under the package. It has made 31.51 percent progress as of now.

Passenger coaches are also being made in Japan and the work started in April last year. A mock-up train reached the depot on Dec 26, last year. The first metro train set including six passenger coaches has been made in Japan. A Japanese factory is making three more metrorail sets.