Primary construction work is set to begin on Bangladesh’s first underground metro rail project, the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development (MRT Line-1), in Purbachal without filling up any canals.
Under Contract Package CP-05, a temporary construction yard will be set up for the tunnel and underground station works between Kuril Transition, Nadda Station and New Market.
Made of steel posts and metallic platforms, the construction yard will be installed on the southern side of the canal, adjacent to the Purbachal Expressway in Kuril.
It will be installed above the canal, keeping the canal intact, and the site will be restored to its original condition after the project is completed.
The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (DMRTDP) assured that the construction work will be carried out in a risk-free and sustainable way.
Bangladesh’s state-owned entity Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is operating the project, which is expected to address Dhaka’s severe traffic congestion.
The metro rail network has five planned lines, of which only MRT Line 6 is operational.
Currently, MRT Line 1 and MRT Line 5 are under construction, and MRT Line 2 and MRT Line 4 are in the planning stages.
The MRT Line 1 spans a total length of 31.241km and comprises two routes, the Airport route and the Purbachal route.
The Airport route is an underground line measuring 19.872km, with 12 underground stations located between the airport and Kamalapur.
Purbachal route comprises an 11.369km elevated metro rail line with 7 elevated and 2 underground stations from Notun Bazar to Pitalganj depot.
The construction on MRT Line-1 started in February 2023 and is expected to open in December 2026.
MRT Line-1 project director Md Abul Kashem Bhuiyan said: “Bangladesh’s first underground metro rail is being constructed on the airport route. The metro rail authority is committed to ensuring risk-free and environmentally friendly construction practices.”
The Bangladeshi government finalised the construction of the MRT Line 1 in 2019, but the project was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the Road Transport and Highways Division transferred the project license to DMTCL and appointed Nippon Koei Bangladesh as a consultant for MRT Line 1.
The same year, the government signed agreements with Tokyo Construction and Max Infrastructure for the land development work for the proposed project at Pitalganj.
The construction of MRT Line-1 is implemented through 12 packages, with 87% of the land development work having already been completed.
The budget for MRT Line 1 was set at $4.3bn, of which Japan International Cooperation Agency agreed to finance 75%.
In addition, tenders have been issued for four underground contract packages to build the core infrastructure, such as tunnels and underground stations for MRT Line-1.
