Underground metro rail construction begins Jan 26

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the construction of the country's first underground metro rail on January 26.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) Managing Director MAN Siddique said they have completed the preparation for the inauguration of the country’s first underground metro line, MRT Line-1.

The prime minister will inaugurate the depot of the MRT Line-1 in the Pitalganj area of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj.

“As part of the MRT Line-1 plan, the first rail depot will be constructed at Pitalganj in Narayanganj,” he said.

Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the construction at an empty plot beside Janata High School.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri told UNB that the DMTCL will implement the mega project by 2026. The underground metro line will have two parts — around 19.87km from Dhaka airport, which includes 16.4km underground, and around 11.36km that is elevated from Natun Bazar to Purbachal, he said.

It will take 24 minutes to travel from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur, with breaks at 12 underground stations along the route, and 20 minutes to travel from Natun Bazar to Purbachal, with breaks at seven stations.

The secretary also said after MRT Line-1 is launched, this route will allow eight lakh passengers to travel.

MRT Line-1 underground stations will have three floors. The ticket counter and other facilities will be located on the first basement level.

The platform will be on the second level. The ticket counter and platform for the elevated station will be on the third floor. Both elevated and underground stations will have lifts, stairs and escalators. The DMTCL signed contracts with Japan’s Tokyo Construction Company Ltd and Bangladesh’s Max Infrastructure Ltd for the project. The project will be implemented in 12 packages.

An agreement was signed with a consulting firm on October 23, 2012, to supervise the construction of MRT Line-1. Another agreement was signed for package CP-1, related to the construction of the depot, on November 23, 2022.

A total of 12.9725 acres of land in Pitalganj and Brahmankhali Mauza of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj have been acquired for the construction of the depot and depot access corridor of MRT Line-1. Tk 140 crore has been given as compensation to the victims.