A team of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is coming to Dhaka tomorrow (Wednesday) to assess its possible investment plan for the metro-rail line-5 project, officials said on Monday.
The ADB's fact-finding mission will visit the country on May 15-20, they also said.
The Manila-based lender has already assured Bangladesh of financing the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, under which 19.60-kilometre-long metro-rail will be constructed from the capital's western part Hemayetpur to eastern part Vatara.
The ADB mission will assess its financing plan for the metro-rail. It will hold several meetings with officials of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) and other agencies concerned, said a senior official.
The amount of funding that the ADB will provide for the project is likely to be determined during this fact-finding mission of the development partner, said Farida Nasreen, an Additional Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD).
She also said: "The mission will wrap up with the ERD on May 20. Then we will get an overview of the donor's investment plan for the metro-rail project."
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) could be the co-financer with the ADB for the MRT line-5 project, she added.
The DMTCL will construct the metro-rail on Hemayetpur-Baliapur-Moodhumoti-Aminbazar-Gabtoli-Darussalam-Mirpur-1-Mirpur-10-Mirpur-14-Kochukhet-Banani-Gulshan-2-Notunbazar-Vatara route.
The infrastructure will have two elevated parts. The first one will be constructed between Hemayetpur and Aminbazar (5.5 km), while the second part will connect Notunbazar and Vatara (0.5 km).
Besides, the 13.6-km-long underground part will be constructed between Gabtoli and Gulshan-2 via Darussalam, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10, Mirpur-14, Kochukhet, Cantonment and Banani.
A senior official of the DMTCL said, "As the feasibility study has been completed for the MRT line-5, we will now go for the main project to build the metro-rail."
"Soon after getting final assurance of funding from the ADB and other overseas co-financers, we will go for implementing the project," he added.
According to the DMTCL, the estimated cost of the 19.6-km MRT-5 is Tk 350 billion.
The JICA under the supervision of the DMTCL has done feasibility study, investing nearly Tk 470 million, for the metro-rail-5 and metro-rail-1 projects.
MRT line-1 will be constructed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Purbachal with a total length of 31.241 km. The infrastructure will be divided into two parts: Airport route and Purbachal route, which are expected to be completed by 2026 at a cost of Tk 500 billion.
The DMTCL is now constructing MRT line-6 from Uttara to Motijheel via Mirpur-Farmgate-Shahbag.
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