Dhaka, November 12, 2024 (BSS): For the first time in the country, the construction of the underground metro rail on the Airport-Kamalapur route is underway. Utility services are already being transferred with a view to completing construction by 2028.
Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL). Abdur Rauf told Buss today that MRT Line-1 has been launched on time to ease traffic congestion in the capital and improve environment-friendly passenger services.
He said that the 31.241 km long MRT Line-1 between Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and Kamalapur Railway Station will have two sections. Airport and Purbachal route.
The managing director also said that DMTCL as the implementing agency of the project, the authority has appointed various contractors for the construction of MRT Line-1.
According to the MRT Line-1 project details, the 19.872 km long underground airport route will have 12 stations and the 11.369 km long elevated Purbachal route will have 9 stations including 1 underground station.
Out of 9 stations on the Purbachal route, 7 will be elevated and two (Nodda and Natun Bazar) will be underground to coordinate with the Airport-Kamalapur route.
The construction of the metro rail line was inaugurated on February 2, 2023, according to the project details. Feasibility study of the project was conducted in 2016-2018.
Project Director Mo Abul Kashem Bhuiyan said that the entire MRT Line-1 project is being implemented in 12 packages. The total cost of the project will be 53 thousand 977 crores. Out of this, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is giving 39 thousand 450 crores as project support and Bangladesh government is giving 14 thousand 527 crores.
According to the details of the project, after the completion of the project, the metro rail will be able to travel from the airport to Kamalapur about 70 thousand people every hour.
According to experts, this metro rail can carry 13.66 lakh people daily, which is about 2.83 times more than the currently ongoing MRT Line-6 project.
The government is moving ahead with a mega plan to build a 140 km metro rail network in Dhaka and its surrounding areas by 2030 to ease traffic congestion.
Once the planned network consisting of 6 lines is built, 50 lakh people will be able to enjoy the benefits. About 68 km elevated and more than 100 stations will be 61 km underground covering the 129 km area of the city.
