The construction timeline and budget for Metro Rail Line-1, the country’s first underground railway are both being extended, although the main project work has not yet commenced. However, the initial work for the depot construction in Pitalganj is currently underway.
Additionally, other initial works for MRT Line-1 (Mass Rapid Transit) have begun. This includes relocating service lines at locations such as the Airport, Airport Terminal-3, Notun Bazar, Narda, the main entrance of Bashundhara Residential Area, and Khilkhet station. As a result, traffic in these areas has been disrupted, causing some inconvenience to pedestrians and local residents.
Meanwhile, the Metro Rail authorities have announced that some parts of the Kuril Bishwa Road to Kanchan section of the Purbachal Expressway will need to be demolished to construct the elevated part of MRT Line-1. However, once the construction of MRT Line-1 is complete, the damaged sections of the expressway will be repaired. These details were provided by sources from the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).
Abul Kashem Bhuiyan, Project Director, Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-1) told Bangladesh Pratidin, "Some parts of the expressway will need to be demolished for the project, which may slightly increase the cost. However, this has not yet been finalized. According to the design, the damage to the expressway will not be significant."
The total estimated cost of the project is 52,561 crore Taka, with 40,000 crore Taka financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the remaining 12,561 crore Taka funded by the Bangladesh government. The project is expected to be completed by 2026, though it may extend until 2028.
For the 2024-25 fiscal year, the annual development program (ADP) initially allocated 3,594.37 crore Taka for the MRT-1 metro rail project, but the revised ADP proposes reducing this amount to 2,126 crore Taka.
For the next fiscal year (2025-26), the Road Transport and Highways Division has proposed an increased allocation of 8,631 crore Taka for the construction of the MRT-1 line from the Airport to Kamalapur and from Notun Bazar to Pitalganj , which is more than twice the amount allocated for the current year.
Sources from DMTCL have reported that the bidding process for the 12 packages of the MRT Line-1 project has been finalized. Additionally, 87% of the land development work for the MRT Line-1 depot, which spans 88.71 acres has been completed.
Once MRT Line-1 becomes operational, it is expected to serve 800,000 passengers daily. The journey from the Airport to Kamalapur will take 24.30 minutes, while travel from Notun Bazar to Purbachal will take 20.35 minutes.
Each underground station of MRT Line-1 will consist of three levels. The first basement will house the ticket counters and other amenities, while the platform will be located on the second basement. Elevated stations will have ticket counters and platforms on the third level. Both underground and elevated stations will be equipped with lifts, stairs, and escalators for easy passenger movement. Additionally, extra ventilation systems will be installed at the stations to maintain proper airflow and oxygen levels.
(Translated by Afia Nanjiba Ibnat)
Bd-pratidin English
