Japan-Bangladesh venture to develop MRT-1 depot

A Japan-Bangladesh joint-venture firm will develop the depot area for the country's first-ever underground metro rail, MRT-1, for which physical work is expected to start next month.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), the implementing agency of all metro rail projects, will sign a contract with the firm on Wednesday.

The companies are Tokyu Construction Co Ltd of Japan and Max Infrastructure Ltd of Bangladesh.

Tokyu Construction Co Ltd was also involved with the development depot for the country's first metro rail (MRT Line-6) in the capital's Diabari, while Max is involved with several projects of Bangladesh Railway and Roads and Highways Department.

The joint venture will do the "soil improvement and land development" work at the depot in Narayanganj's Pitalganj at a cost of Tk 607.65 crore within 910 days, sources said.

Of the money, Tk 81.83 crore will come from government funds, while Tk 525.83 crore will come from Japanese loan, they said.

Works of the Tk 52,561.43-crore project, formally known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-1 (MRT Line-1), the biggest infrastructure project in the transport sector, will start with land development for the depot.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to join the ground-breaking ceremony of the underground metro rail next month, said project director Abul Kashem Bhuiyan.

"After the ceremony, depot development works will start," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

Once the 31.24-km line is completed, it will be able to carry 8 lakh passengers daily.

It will have two parts -- a 19.87-km section from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur (Airport route), which will be underground, and a 11.36-km elevated line from Notun Bazar to Purbachal (Purbachal route).

The airport route will have 12 stations, and the Purbachal route will have nine, seven of which will be above the ground. Two stations on the Purbachal route -- Nadda and Notun Bazar -- will be built underground and used as an interchange, for passengers to switch between routes.

The MRT Line-1 will be the second of the six lines to be built in the capital and adjacent areas to ease traffic congestion and pollution. The government has taken a plan to build around 130 km of metro rail network -- with both elevated and underground sections -- by 2030.

MRT Line-6 is expected to be launched partially next month.

The feasibility study of MRT Line-1 was completed in December 2018. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the project in October 2019.

Of the Tk 52,561.43 crore, the government will provide Tk 13,111 crore and Japan Tk 39,450 crore as a soft loan.

The authorities had a plan to start the physical work of the project in December 2020. Later, they changed the starting date thrice mainly for the delay in drawing detailed design due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The authorities would implement the project under 13 packages -- one for consultants and 12 for civil work.

The board of directors on September 7 approved two proposals -- one for appointing consultants and another for appointing contractors for package one, which is meant for depot development.

The metro rail authorities last month hired consultants for construction-supervision service for MRT Line-1. A joint venture firm led by Japan's Nippon Koei Company Ltd will provide the service for seven years at a cost of Tk 1,517.24 crore.