A detailed proposal for the project to build the 17.2km southern section of MRT Line 5 in Dhaka has been submitted to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Planning, following the confirmation of a $US 4.5bn funding package.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $US 3bn and Korea $US 1.5bn towards the $US 5.1bn cost of the project, with the government of Bangladesh providing the remainder.
The ADB funding will be a combination of concessional and non-concessional loans. Repayment will take place over 30 years and includes a five-year grace period. ADB funding supported the completion of a feasibility study, engineering design and procurement documentation, which were completed in November 2022.
The Korean funding is being provided under a framework agreement signed in May 2023 to lend Bangladesh up to $US 3bn between 2023 and 2027. The soft loan has an interest rate of 0.01-0.05% with a 40-year repayment period and a 15-year grace period.
Following evaluation by the Ministry of Planning, the project proposal will be presented to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for approval.
Line 5
The southern section of MRT Line 5 is expected to enter service in 2030. It will run from Gabtoli in the west of Dhaka to Dasherkandi in the east, via Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Russell Square, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon and Aftabnagar.
The 13km section between Gabtoli and Aftabnagar will have 11 underground stations, while the final 4.1km from Aftabnagar to Dasherkandi will be elevated with four stations.
The journey time between Gabtoli and Dasherkandi will be 28 minutes, with trains operating at headways of 4min 30s. Initial operations will require a fleet of 19 six-car air-conditioned trains, each able to accommodate up to 1908 passengers.
Dhaka’s current population of over 20 million is expected to rise to 30 million by 2035, and the Bangladesh government is aiming to build a six-line metro network with a total length of 140km by 2030 in order to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
Services were further stepped up on Line 6 on January 22, with trains now operating between 07.00 and 20.40 six days a week and only the Motijheel – Kamalapur section left to be opened.
Work on the northern section of Line 5 began on November 4 2023. Due for completion in 2028 at a cost of Taka 412.39bn ($US 3.37bn), this will run for 20km from Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur-10 and Gulshan.
The largest metro project currently underway in Dhaka is MRT Line 1 where work began on February 2 2023. Costing Taka 525.6bn, it will be 31.24km long and serve 19 stations, comprising a 19.87km underground section from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur and an 11.36km elevated section from Notun Bazar to Purbachal.
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