Hemayetpur-Bhatara metro rail work starts 16 Sept
The rail is expected to carry around 12.3 lakh people every day
The physical work for the metro rail from Hemayetpur to Bhatara via Gabtoli, Mirpur, and Gulshan will begin on 16 through developing the depot area.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the construction at a groundbreaking ceremony on the Jahangirnagar University campus, Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, deputy general manager at the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), told The Business Standard.
Earlier, the DMTCL signed an agreement with a joint venture of TAO Corporation of Japan and Spectra Engineers Limited of Bangladesh for the development of the depot area at a cost of Tk1,189 crore.
A total of 99.25 acres of land for the depot of the third metro rail in Dhaka, named MRT Line 5 (North), will be developed at Hemayetpur, Savar.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the project in 2019 to build a 20km line with 13.5km of underground and 6.5km of elevated sections.
Nine stations out of the total of 14 will be set up in the underground section, and the remaining stations will be elevated.
The estimated cost of the project is Tk41,238.55 crore. The Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide Tk29,117 crore, or about 71% of the total cost, as a concessional loan.
The DMTCL has set a target to complete the project by 2028. The rail is expected to carry around 12.3 lakh people every day.