Finance
Metrorail | ADB Bangladesh partners with ADB for Metrorail projects
Dhaka, April 20: Metrorail means Japan - the government is coming out of this trend. As a single country, three metrorails are under the credit of Japan, reducing the bargaining power with them. The government has to accept the cost that the country is taking. For this reason, the government has decided to go to an alternative route outside of Japan to increase competition. So this time the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will finance the Metrorail Line-5 project. Compared to Japan, taking a loan from ADB will also cost less for metro rail. This information is known from related sources.
The pre-feasibility survey of 17.20 km metro rail under Technical Assistance for Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project Line-5 Southern Route survey project is almost at the final stage. By 2030, 13.10 km underground from Gabtali to Aftabnagar West and 4.10 km above ground from Aftabnagar Center to Dasherkandi will be constructed with a total length of 17.20 km. Pre-feasibility study for construction of Metrorail with 15 stations (11 underground and 4 above) has been completed.
21st April, 2021, the engaged consultancy firm started working. The feasibility study was completed on 30 November 2022. The consulting firm submitted the draft final detailed design on February 6, 2023. The progress of engineering design work is 92 percent. The Development Project Proposal (DPP) of the investment project based on the feasibility study has been sent to the Road Transport and Highways Department on March 22, 2023.
The initial construction cost of this project has been estimated at Tk 48 thousand crores. Of this, 31 thousand crores of loan will come from ADB. By 2030, the metro rail will run on six routes in and around the capital Dhaka. In the meantime, work on the Uttara to Motijheel section under Line Six is underway. JICA will provide loans on five of the six routes. But ADB will give loan to Route-5.
Bangladesh entered the era of the first metro rail by the hands of Japan. Uttara to Kamalapur Line-6 is being financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The country is also providing financial support to two projects in the ongoing MRT 1 and 5.
