New metros to reshape Dhaka’s transit map
The government has approved three major metro rail projects worth nearly Tk2.5 lakh crore, adding two east-west corridors and a north-south corridor to Dhaka’s expanding mass-transit network.
The projects – MRT Line-1, MRT Line-5
Northern Route and MRT Line-5 Southern Route – were cleared at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec).
Once implemented, the three corridors will link the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), Purbachal, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Gulshan, Badda, Aftabnagar and Dasherkandi, while creating several interchange points with the existing MRT Line-6.
The outcome, officials say, will be a far more interconnected metro network rather than a collection of standalone routes. Residents along the corridors will get faster and more convenient access to different parts of the capital, with passengers able to switch between lines at key interchange stations.
The country’s first underground metro
MRT Line-1, which will include Bangladesh’s first underground metro section, will run through HSIA, HSIA Terminal-3, Khilkhet, Nadda, Notun Bazar, Uttar Badda, Badda, Aftabnagar, Rampura, Malibagh, Rajarbagh and Kamalapur.
Its Purbachal branch will pass through Notun Bazar, Nadda, Joar Sahara, Boalia, Mostul, Purbachal Cricket Stadium, Purbachal Centre, Purbachal East, Purbachal Terminal and Pitalganj Depot.
The 31.24-kilometre line has an estimated cost of Tk1,14,394.89 crore and is now targeted for completion by 2033.
Mirpur to Bhatara, Gabtoli to Dasherkandi
The MRT Line-5 Northern Route will have stations at Hemayetpur, Baliarpur, Bilamalia, Aminbazar, Gabtoli, Darus Salam, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10, Mirpur-14, Kochukhet, Banani, Gulshan-2, Notun Bazar and Bhatara. The 20-kilometre corridor carries an estimated cost of Tk89,848.36 crore.
The MRT Line-5 Southern Route, estimated at Tk45,503 crore, will serve Gabtoli, Technical, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Russell Square, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Aftabnagar Centre, Aftabnagar East, Nasirabad and Dasherkandi.
Financing and status
MRT Line-1 and the Line-5 Northern Route will be funded with Japanese assistance, while the Line-5 Southern Route will receive financing from the Asian Development Bank and South Korea.
MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 Northern are revised versions of projects approved earlier; MRT Line-5 Southern is a new project.
Taken together, the network is expected to improve connectivity for commuters travelling between the airport, Purbachal, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Gulshan, Badda, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Dasherkandi and other major areas, reducing their dependence on road-based transport in a city long choked by traffic congestion.
