Dhaka: The government has approved three metro rail projects involving a combined estimated cost of about Tk 2.50 lakh crore, including a new MRT Line-5 Southern Route project and revised costs for Japan-funded MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 Northern Route. The projects were approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at the Secretariat on Wednesday, with Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman presiding over the meeting.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the new 17.20-kilometre MRT Line-5 Southern Route connecting Gabtoli with Dasherkandi has been approved at an estimated cost of Tk 45,503.76 crore. Of this amount, the government will provide Tk 15,197.66 crore, while Tk 30,306.10 crore will come as project loans from the Asian Development Bank and South Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund. The route will include 13.10 kilometres of underground tracks and is scheduled to be implemented from September 2026 to August 2033, passing through Technical intersection, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Sukrabad, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Nasirabad, and Dasherkandi.
The ECNEC also approved revised cost proposals for MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 Northern Route, both of which were originally approved in 2019. The revised cost of the 31.24-kilometre MRT Line-1, connecting Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with Kamalapur, has been set at Tk 1,14,394.89 crore, up from the original Tk 52,561.43 crore, marking an increase of Tk 61,833.46 crore or 117.64 percent. The revised proposal indicates that the government's contribution will rise to Tk 30,552.26 crore, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan will increase to Tk 83,842.63 crore. The cost adjustments are attributed to delays in design and tender preparation during the Covid-19 pandemic and complexities associated with implementing the country's first underground metro rail project.
The cost of the 20-kilometre MRT Line-5 Northern Route from Hemayetpur to Bhatara has been revised to Tk 89,848.36 crore from Tk 41,238.54 crore, an increase of Tk 48,609.82 crore or 117.88 percent. The government contribution will rise by 84.22 percent to Tk 22,330 crore, while the JICA loan will increase by 131.89 percent to Tk 67,518 crore. The Hemayetpur-Amin Bazar section of the Northern Route will be elevated, while the Amin Bazar-Bhatara section will run underground through densely populated areas. Originally scheduled for completion by 2028, the revised proposal extends the completion target to 2032.
The combined original cost of MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 Northern Route was Tk 93,799.97 crore. Their combined revised cost now stands at Tk 2,04,243.25 crore, an increase of Tk 1,10,443.28 crore, or 117.74 percent. The revised combined figure is Tk 9,741.84 crore lower than the Tk 2,13,985.09 crore proposed earlier by Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited following a reassessment of construction, land development, buildings, electrical and mechanical systems, utility relocation, and equipment costs.
The ECNEC meeting also approved other development projects from several ministries, including Roads and Highways, Defence, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Railways, Labour and Employment, and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.