With satisfactory progress in construction of Bangladesh’s first metro rail route, another two such mega projects await government approval soon aiming at brining rapid and effective comfort to the city commuters.
According to planning ministry sources, the government is soon going to start construction of two projects - MRT-1 and MRT-5 for developing uninterrupted rail transportation system both in east-west and north-south directions after the approval of the executive committee of the national economic council (ECNEC).
The project evaluation committee (PEC) of the planning commission has already approved the development project proposals (DPPs) of MRT-1 and MRT-5. The proposals will be placed before the government’s highest policy body, a senior official of the ministry told Bangladesh Post on Thursday.
The cost for these projects has been estimated at Tk 93,161 crore (Tk 931.61 billion), which will come from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). Dhaka Mass Transit Company will implement the projects.
The 31.24km MRT Line-1 will have two parts -- around 19.87km from Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur with 16.4km underground, and around 11.36km of elevated rail from Notun Bazar to Purbachal. The design of the underground rail has been prepared.
The first part of the project, 16.4km long, will be the airport route stretching from the terminal 3 of the airport to Kamalapur via Khilkhet, Jamuna Future Park, Notun Bazar, Badda, Hatirjheel, Rampura, Malibagh and Razarbagh.
The second part will be the Purbachal route stretching from Notun Bazar to Purbachal Depot via Jamuna Future Park.
The estimated cost for MRT-1 has been set at Tk 51,900 crore. JICA will give Tk 33,914 crore while Tk 17,986 crore will come from the government exchequer. The project will be completed by December 2026.
On the other hand, the 20km MRT-5 route, namely northern route, would run on Hemayetpur-Baliarpur-Madhumati-Amin Bazzar-Gabtoli-Dar-us-Salam-Mirpur-1-Mirpur-10-Mirpur-14-Kochukhet-Banani-Gulshan-2-Notun Bazzar-Vatara route.
The total length of the corridor would be 19.60km with 13.60km underground and 6km elevated.
JICA will give Tk 30,756 crore while Tk 10,505 will come from the government exchequer for the project aimed at completing by June 2028.
About 20km new metro rail route from Hemayetpur to Bhatara will have a 14km underground part, sources said adding that 14 stations will be constructed in the route.
The interest rate of the JICA loan will be 0.95 percent payable in 30 years.
Japan is also funding the country's first elevated metro rail, MRT Line-6, from Uttara to Motijheel. Construction of the first 20.1km track is now underway and may be completed by end of this year.
The government wants to build all five metro lines -- one elevated, one underground, and three underground plus elevated -- in the capital and its adjacent areas by 2030 to ease traffic and reduce pollution - the two major problems that over 1.5 crore residents are facing.
