A reputed South Korean company has in principle agreed to invest in an assembling plant of metro-rail coaches in Bangladesh, which is expected to be a major import-substitution venture.
A delegation of Woojin Industrial System has offered partnership with Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited which is likely to need at least 100 metro cars in the near future.
The company men had a meeting with high-ups and visited depot site on January 19-21 and showed interest as partial assembling of cars will be possible in the first phase with a little investment.
The delegation members, including the company President and the Managing Director, arrived in the country to explore the scope of establishing the assemblage plant as the DMTCL is trying for cost cutting in its different MRT projects.
Sources have said the delegation met with high officials, including the Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority and the Finance Secretary apart from visiting the depot site.
''The delegation expressed their interest initially to invest for partial assembling of metro-rail cars as it is possible to set up the plant at Diabari depot, '' said one official.
Woojin has been in railway business for the last five decades and one of the major suppliers of the world in locomotives. The first entry was in supplying various components during the 70s and railway systems during the 90s.
The Korean company moved to Light Rapid Transit (LRT) vehicles during 2000 and earned capacity in train upgrading and operation and management services. Apart from these achievements, Woojin now manufactures MRT, electric bus and trains.
According to the document shared by the delegation, the company provided 440 cars for Busan line 1 and 2, some 102 cars for Busan Lin 4, another 18 cars for Busan Yangbans Line, 2) 36 cars in Seoul Sillim Linel and 16 cars for Jakarta LRT, among its total supplied items
Some 2,420 cars have so far been supplied for MRTs, LRT, DEMU services and EV bus services in Korea and other countries.
Managing Director of DMTCL
Faruque Ahmed says a demand for 100 cars is likely to be created for the existing MRTs planned for Dhaka city, "which may increase to 1,000 even, as more mass-transit systems are also in plan of the government".
According to initial plan shared with higher authorities, the company offers partly assembling in the first phase in the shortest time but gradually it will go for full-pledged assembling, technology transfer as well as capacity building of local professionals.
Production capacity of the plant is proposed to be 150-200 cars a year.
The capital city, Dhaka, is likely to get six MRTs despite delay for procedural complications. Feasibility study for MRT in Chattogram city is ongoing while the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority has also made a move to find scope for low-cost LRTs in Dhaka and surrounding cities.
smunima@yahoo.com
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