Deal inked to developdepot land for metro rail northern route

Staff Reporter :
An agreement between the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) and TAO Corporation of Japan was signed on Tuesday for development of depot land for metro rail northern route (Mass Rapid Transit Line-5) from the city’s Bhatara to Savar’s Hemayetpur.

The deal worth Tk1,189 crore was signed by MAN Siddiqui, Managing Director of DMTCL and a representative of TOA as lead agency in the conference room of DMTCL building in Diabari, Uttara in the city.

A joint venture of TAO Corporation of Japan and Spectra Engineers Limited of Bangladesh has achieved the contract for developing the depot area for the project of Mass Rapid Transit Line-5 (Northern Route).

A 99.25 acres of land for the depot of the third metro rail in Dhaka will be constructed in Hemayetpur of Savar.
Among others, ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division was present as chief guest, while IWAMA Kiminori, Ambassador of Japan in Bangladesh, HIGUCHI Tomohide, Chief Representative, JICA in Bangladesh and other officials from the government and contractor were also present at the event.
MAN Siddique, said that the physical works of the 20km metro rail from Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur, and Gulshan will be started next July with the commencement of the first package of the project under the agreement.

The executive committee of the national economic council approved the project in 2019 to build a 20km line with 13.5km of underground and 6.5km of elevated sections. Nine stations out of 14 are to be established in underground sections and the remaining stations will be in the elevated section, he said.
DMTCL officials said that the estimated cost of the project is Tk41,238.55 crore.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) will provide Tk29117 crore, about 71 per cent of the project cost as a concessional loan, while remaining Tk 12,121 crore will come from the GOB fund.

The DMTCL has set a target to conclude the project by 2028. Over 1.23 million people will ride the metro train every day in the proposed line after the commencement of services.
Project Director (PD) Aftab Hossain Khan said that passengers will be transported from Hemayetpur in Savar to the city’s Bhatara through this metro rail line partly through underground and partly elevated. It would take 32 minutes to cover a distance of 20 km, he added.