The MRT-5 southern route is finally getting a move on, with the project set to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) next week for approval.
The Tk 45,504 crore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-5 (southern route) will be the first MRT project to get the go-ahead from the BNP government. Funding will be from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and South Korea.
More than two-thirds of the 17.2km line will be underground.
The ADB has made an initial commitment of up to $3 billion in loans, with a first tranche of $300 million expected in the next fiscal year and the remaining tranches in line with the progress of the project. South Korea has pledged up to $1.5 billion.
Together, the two development partners are expected to provide Tk 30,306 crore in loans for the project, according to the project documents, although at yesterday’s exchange rate, the combined pledged funds amounted to Tk 55,302 crore.
The project will run from this month to August 2033.
Planning ministry sources said the initial cost was estimated at Tk 54,619 crore in April 2024. After several rounds of discussions between the Planning Commission and the road transport ministry, it was reduced to Tk 45,504 crore during the current government.
The project’s preparatory work has already progressed substantially. The pre-feasibility study, basic engineering design, detailed design, tender assistance, land acquisition plan and resettlement action plan have been completed under an ADB-funded technical assistance project.
The southern route will run from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi via Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Shukrabad, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon and Aftabnagar.
It will have 15 stations -- 11 underground and four elevated.
The underground section will run from Gabtoli to Aftabnagar, while the elevated section will extend from Aftabnagar to Dasherkandi, according to project documents.
Nineteen trains, each with six air-conditioned coaches, will initially operate on the route.
Each train will have a maximum capacity of 1,908 passengers, with up to 323 passengers in each of the four middle coaches and 308 in each trailer coach.
The 17.2km journey from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi is expected to take 28 minutes. Trains are planned to run every four minutes and 30 seconds.
Resettlement costs have been estimated at Tk 4,716 crore.
According to project documents, Dhaka’s population is currently estimated at more than 20 million and is expected to approach 30 million by 2035.
The project is expected to help reduce traffic congestion and improve the environment in Dhaka and adjoining areas.
In an interview with The Daily Star last month, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said, “We want to fully implement the metro rail network in Dhaka city. We want to integrate monorails into this system to ensure last-mile connectivity.”
He said, “Not everything can be accomplished in a single year; it is an ongoing process. To save Dhaka, free its people from traffic congestion, and boost overall efficiency, there are few alternatives to a mass transit system.”
The Revised Strategic Transport Plan has envisaged a five-line MRT network to ease traffic congestion in the capital.
Once completed, the network is expected to serve 50 lakh commuters.
MRT Line-6 is now operational from Uttara North to Motijheel, while its Motijheel-Kamalapur extension is under implementation.
Work on MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (northern route) is also progressing.
Unlike the new MRT-5 southern route, the existing MRT projects are being financed by Japan.
Progress of MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (northern route), however, has been slow, with both facing sharp cost increases and extensions to their deadlines.
The MRT Line-1 authorities have so far hired contractors for only one of its 12 packages.
The project originally had a cost of Tk 52,561 crore, including a Japanese loan of Tk 39,450 crore.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd has now proposed raising the cost to under Tk 1.21 lakh crore, of which Tk 85,535 crore would come from Japanese financing.
The project, which was originally scheduled to run from September 2019 to December 2026, is now proposed to continue until December 2035.
Under the project, a 19.87km underground line will connect Dhaka airport with Kamalapur, while an 11.37km elevated line will run from Natunbazar to Pitalganj in Narayanganj.
Similarly, the MRT Line-5 (northern route) project authority has hired contractors for only one of its 10 packages.
The 20km line will run from Hemayetpur to Bhatara, with underground and elevated sections.
The project’s original cost was estimated at Tk 41,238 crore, with Tk 29,117 crore coming from Japanese loans. The proposed revised cost is Tk 93,190 crore, of which Tk 68,931 crore would come from Japan.
Its original tenure was from July 2019 to December 2028, but the proposed revised timeline extends it to December 2034.
A technical committee formed by the government in April estimated in its report submitted last month that the combined cost of MRT-1 and MRT-5 (north) would finally be Tk 2 lakh crore. The matter is not final yet, as the Planning Commission is reviewing the report.
The proposed MRT-2, a 36km line, will run from Gabtoli to Narayanganj via Mohammadpur, Nilkhet, Azimpur, Central Shaheed Minar, Gulistan, Sadarghat, Mugda, Demra and Chattogram Road. Its initial estimated cost is around Tk 61,000 crore.
Although the interim government held verbal discussions with the World Bank last year on a feasibility study and technical assistance for this line, no formal proposal has yet been sent to the global lender, sources said.
