Dhaka Metro Rail

The Dhaka Metro (Bengali: ঢাকা মেট্রো), as distinct from the Dhaka Subway, is an approved metro rail system under construction in Dhaka, the capital and the busiest city of Bangladesh. Together with a separate BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system it has been long called for to ease the extreme traffic jams and congestion that occur throughout the entire city on a daily basis, one of the heaviest in the world. It is a part of the 20-year long Strategic Transport Plan (STP) outlined by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), a governmental agency.[3]

Dhaka Metro
Overview
Native nameBengali: ঢাকা মেট্রো
LocaleDhaka city
Transit typeRapid transit, Light rail transit, and Monorail
Number of lines
  • 1 (under construction)
  • 5 (planned)
Number of stations
  • 16 (under construction)
  • 52 (planned/proposed)
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Websitewww.dmtcl.gov.bd
Operation
Operation will startLate 2021 [1]
Operator(s)Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd.
Train lengthBombardier Innovia & Siemens Inspiro
Technical
System length20.10 km (12.49 mi)(under construction)[2] (Line-6)
Track gaugeStandard gauge
Electrification1500V DC via overhead catenary

As of 2020, the metro rail system consists of one line referred to as the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Line-6, with other metro rail lines going to be added in the future. This article focuses mainly on Dhaka MRT Line-6.

The Dhaka Metro Rail Line-6 consists of 16 elevated stations each of 180m long and 20.1 km of electricity powered light rail tracks. MRT Line-6. All of Line-6, save for the depot, as well as some of its accompanying BRT, will be elevated above current roads primarily above road medians to allow traffic flow underneath, with stations also elevated.[4]

Construction began on 26 June 2016 with an inauguration ceremony presided over by the reigning prime minister Sheikh Hasina.[5] The civil work is being done by the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. and Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. JV and a Tokyo-based construction company is developing the depot's land.[6]

Overview

The deal for construction of the 20.1 kilometres (12.5 mi)[7] Line 6, costing $2.8 billion, was signed by the Government of Bangladesh with the Japan International Cooperation Agency on 20 February 2013.[8] This first route, originally projected to start from Uttara, a northern suburb of Dhaka, to Sayedabad, in the south of the capital,[9] was eventually extended north to Uttara and truncated south to Motijheel.[10]

Each train will hold up to 1800 passengers. With 56 trains to be in service by 2021, Dhaka Metro is projected to serve more than 60,000 passengers per hour by 2021, with wait times of approximately 4 minutes.[11] The entire route will be able to be travelled in less than 40 minutes at a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), expected to drastically reduce the number of private cars on Dhaka's streets as well as their potentially 7-hour-long standstills.[12]

Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit is designed to be noise-free, with noise barriers and vibration-free lines, and the cars would be made of stainless steel and aluminium alloy.[13] The system plans to use magnetic contactless Integrated Circuit Ticketing commonly also known as smart cards.[3] Platform screening door (PSD) barriers used in the platform level will increase safety and increase efficiency.[3]

When the service is in full operation, trains of six air-conditioned spacious cars will arrive every four minutes going each way at each of the 16 stations.[13]

The project is being managed by the Communications Ministry's Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Authority, and a consortium of foreign as well as Bangladeshi firms known as NKDM Association is acting as General Consultant (GC). NKDM Association consists of: Nippon Koei Japan, Nippon Koei India, Delhi Metro Rail Corp (India), Mott MacDonald UK, Mott MacDonald India and Development Design Consultants (local consultant - Bangladesh).[4]

Conception and Origin

In a view to implement Dhaka City's 20-year long Strategic Transport (STP), Bangladesh Government invited Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to conduct a primary survey and feasibility study on the transport system of Dhaka back in 2009–2010. In 2012 the Government's Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project. A loan agreement between Bangladesh Government and JICA was signed in January 2013. The same year, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd. (DMTC), the implementing agency of MRT Line-6 project was formed. The General Consultant (GC) namely the NKDM Association (See above) commenced work from February 2014.

In June 2013, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTC) was established by the Government to implement the Metro Rail Lines across the City.[14] The project will be constructed under the supervision of (DMTCL) under the jurisdiction of Road Transport and Highway Division, Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Government of Bangladesh. Once complete, metro rail services would be operated by DMTCL.

Project Components, Dates and Progress
MRT CP- 06 Progressing at Kazi Nazrul Islam Ave Road, Near Paribagh on August 2020

The project will be implemented under eight construction packages (CP). The development components or construction packages include – CP-01 (Depot Land Development), CP-02 (Depot Civil & Buildings), CP-03, CP-04 (Viaduct & Stations, Uttara-Agargaon), CP-05, CP-06 (Viaduct & Stations, Agargaon-Motijheel), CP-07 (Electro-Mechanical Systems) and CP-08 (Rolling Stock & Depot Equipment).[13]

Utility relocation from Mirpur-10 to Agargaon was planned to start August 2016, Other surveys have already been completed during the period of 2014 – October 2016 as mentioned by the project director Topographic Survey, Traffic Survey, Geotechnical Survey, Right of Way (ROW) Survey, Historical Importance/ Archeological (HIA) Survey, Environmental Baseline (EBL) Survey, Soil Electric Resistivity (SER) Survey and Utility Verification Survey.

[13]

As of May 2015, soil testing for the line was completed, with construction for the first section having begun on 26 June 2016,[5] and construction for the second section planned to begin in July 2017, for planned public operation by the end of 2019 and sometime in 2020, respectively.[2][7]

A Japanese firm, Tokyu Construction Ltd, is carrying out the depot land development work (CP-01). Tokyu Construction Ltd will develop the depot on a 23.84-hectare of land during the construction period at the cost of around ৳5.67 billion (US$67 million) . He said the Pre-Qualification (PQ) of CP-02 has already done and 15 firms are qualified for this. Tender for CP-02 is already floated and the last date of the submission is 6 September this year. While asked about CP-03 and CP-04, he said PQ process has been done on 20 April this year. Tender has been invited and the last date of submission is 8 August 2016. But the date may be extended, he mentioned.[13]

Network

In this Dhaka Metro Rail network, there will be six lines.[15] Total mileage 169km.

LineFirst operation/ expected runLast extensionsStationsLengthTerminalsInterchange StationsDepot
MRT 1 (Airport Rail Link) est. 2026 Mawna Gazipur●Signboard•Boardbazar●NationalUniversity●Tongi●Abdullahpur●Uttara●Airport●Airport T3●Khilkhet●Jamuna Future Park●Baridhara●North Badda●South Badda●Merul●Rampura●Khilgaon●Malibagh●Rajarbagh●Kamalapur Railway Station 39.87 km Gazipur Kamalapur Railway Station Kamalapur (MRT 6), Baridhara (MRT Line 5) Rupganj
MRT 1 (Purbachal Route) est. 2026 Bhulta Baridhara●Jamuna Future Park●Bashundhara●Police Officer's Housing Society●Pink City●Purbachal West●Purbachal Centre●Purbachal East●Purbachal Terminal 11.37 km Notun Bazar Purbachal Terminal Kamalapur Railway Station (MRT 6), Baridhara (MRT Line 5 North) Rupganj
MRT 2 est. 2030 Gabtoli●Mbabkment Road●Bosila●Mohammadpur BRTC Bus Stand●Shat Masjid Road●Zigatola●Dhanmondi 2 No●Science Laboratory●New Market●Nilkhet●Azimpur●Polashi●Shaid Minar●Dhaka Medical College●Police Headquarters●Golap Shah Mazar●Bangabhaban●Motijheel●Arambagh●Kamlapur●Mugda●Manda●Demra●Chittagong Road 22 km Gabtoli Chittagong Road Hemayetpur
MRT 4 est. 2025 Narayanganj Demra●StaffQuarters●Amalia●Nandipara●Meradia●Banasree Ideal School●BTV Bhaban●Middle Badda●Gulshan-1●Mohakhali 24 km Demra Mohakhali Gulshan 1 (MRT 2) Demra
MRT 5 (Northern Route) est. 2028 Bhulta Savar Cantonment●Savar Golf Course●Jahanginagar University●Radio Colony●Savar City Center●Banktown●Hemayetpur●Modhumoti Housing●Aminbazar●Gabtoli●Darus Salam●Mirpur -1●Mirpur-10●Mirpur-14●Cantonment●Banani●Gulshan-2●Baridhara●Madani Avenue●United City●Jalshiri Housing 40 km Savar Cantonment Jalshiri Housing Baridhara (MRT 1 & MRT 5 North), Gabtoli (MRT 5 South) Hemayetpur
MRT 5 (Southern Route) est. 2027 Gabtoli●Technical●Kallyanpur●Shyamoli●College Gate●Asad Gate●Russell Square●West Panthapath●Bashundhara City/Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel●Hatirjheel(FDC)●Modhubagh●Niketon●Aftabnagar West●Aftabnagar Center●Aftabnagar East●Dasherkandi 17.4 km Gabtoli Dasherkandi Gabtoli (MRT 5 North) Dasherkandi
MRT 6 est. 2022 Ashulia Uttara Terminal●Uttara North●Uttara Center●Uttara South●Mirpur DOHS●Pallabi●Mirpur-11●Mirpur-10●Kazipara●Shewrapara●Agargaon●Bijoy Sarani●Farmgate●Karwan Bazar●Shahbag●Dhaka University●Secretariat●Motijheel●Kamalapur Railway Station 20.1 km Uttara Terminal Kamalapur Railway Station Kamalapur Railway Station (MRT 1), Farmgate (LRT 2) Uttara Terminal
Rapid Monorail (Circular loop line) est 2024 Dhaka University●Nilkhet●Azimpur●Dhanmondi Road-2●Zigatola●Lalmatia●Dhanmondi Road-27●Kalabagan●Science Laboratory●New Market●Dhaka University km TBA Dhaka University Dhaka University (Circular Loop Route Terminus) Dhaka University (MRT 6) Ramna Park

Route alignment

Tentative alignments have been decided upon for the three initial metro lines. Only Line 6, as of 27 June 2016, has a definite station layout.

MRT Line 6: Motijheel - Uttara
Uttara North
Uttara Centre
Uttara South
Pallabi
Mirpur 11
Mirpur-10
Kazipara
Shewrapara
Agargaon
Bijoy Sarani
Farmgate
Karwan Bazar
Shahbag
Dhaka University
Bangladesh Secretariat
Motijheel
Kamalapur
MRT Line 6 Route Map
  • Construction started for Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, Contract-CP-06, at Kazi Nazrul Islam Ave Road, Dhaka. Photo shot from Poribagh footover Bridge. From south to north side. ( 16.02.2019.)
  • Construction site in Uttara, Dhaka
  • Construction of a pillar in Karwanbazar, Dhaka

References
  1. https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/dhaka-metro-rail-rollout-likely-year-2024141. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Officials hope to start operation of Dhaka metro rail project partially by end of 2019". The Daily Star. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  3. "About MRT Line-6". DHAKA MASS TRANSIT COMPANY LTD. DHAKA MASS TRANSIT COMPANY LTD. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  4. UK, DVV Media. "Dhaka metro construction officially launched again". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  5. "PM opens work on metro, BRT". The Daily Star. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  6. "Just 12% progress made in metro rail project in 4 years". Dhaka Tribune. 12 October 2017.
  7. "Japan provides funds for Dhaka Metro rail system". Railway-Technology.com. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  8. "Bangladesh, Japan strike deal for $2.8-bln Dhaka metro rail". GlobalPost. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  9. "Muhith to sit with armed forces to resolve metro rail site dispute". The Financial Express. 25 June 2011.
  10. "In 37 minutes". 26 June 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  11. Ahmed, Shamim; bdnews24.com. "Dhaka Metrorail to carry 60,000 people per hour". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  12. "Traffic chaos reigns in Bangladesh". The Star. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  13. Sun, The Daily. "Metro rail construction in progress". Metro rail construction in progress | daily-sun.com. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  14. "About DMTC Line 6- The Official Website for the Dhaka MRT Project". DHAKA MASS TRANSIT COMPANY LTD. DHAKA MASS TRANSIT COMPANY LTD. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  15. "Five metro rails". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 June 2019.


See also
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