Contracts Signed in Four Packages for Dhaka's Two New Metro Rails, Covering 8 Elevated Stations and 11 km of Track

Contractors have been appointed to build stations and track for MRT Line-1, from the airport to Kamalapur in the capital, and MRT Line-5 (North), from Hemayetpur to Bhatara. With the appointment of contractors, construction of stations and track for the two new metro rails has formally begun.

Under four packages, 8 elevated stations and 11 kilometres of elevated track will be built for the two metro rails. Depot infrastructure for the two lines will also be built at Hemayetpur and Purbachal.

The contractor appointment contracts for the four packages were signed separately on Tuesday afternoon at the Metro Rail building at Diabari in Uttara, in the capital. A DMTCL release said the two projects, being implemented by Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), are jointly financed by the government of Bangladesh and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The two metro rails will cost a total of two lakh crore taka; of that, MRT Line-1 will cost 1 lakh 14 thousand crore taka and MRT Line-5 will cost 89 thousand crore taka.

MRT Line-1 is 31 kilometres long and will have 21 stations from the airport to Kamalapur. MRT Line-5 will be 20 kilometres long with 14 stations from Hemayetpur to Bhatara. Construction of both metro rails is scheduled to be completed by 2033.

Under the contracts, a total of 49 structures, including a workshop, stabling shed and operation management centre, will be built for the MRT Line-1 depot; that contract was signed with China's Sinohydro and SEBCL. The contract for this line's 5 kilometres of elevated track and three stations — Joar Sahara, Boalia and Mastul — was signed with China's CREC and MBEC and Japan's MIL.

For the MRT Line-5 depot, the contract to build infrastructure including an administrative building, stabling yard, warehouse and workshop shed was signed with Taiwan's CPC and South Korea's Hanil. Under another package, the contract for 6.50 kilometres of elevated track from Hemayetpur to Aminbazar and from Notun Bazar to Bhatara, and five stations — Hemayetpur, Baliapur, Bilamalia, Aminbazar and Bhatara — was signed with CREC-MIL-MBEC.

Road Transport and Highways Division secretary Mohammad Ziaul Haque was chief guest at the signing ceremony and Planning Commission member (acting secretary) Kabir Ahmad was special guest. Also present were DMTCL managing director Md Shawgat-ul Alam, along with representatives of the Japanese embassy, JICA, project officials, consultants and contracting firms.

The DMTCL release said implementation of the four packages would advance the expansion of the capital's metro rail infrastructure. At the ceremony, secretary Mohammad Ziaul Haque said reducing traffic congestion and travel time in the capital is among the government's top priorities, and the metro rail network is being expanded to build a modern, safe and environment-friendly public transport system.