The first-ever independent safety audit of Dhaka's metro rail has identified a number of construction and design anomalies on MRT Line-6, which has been operating between Uttara and Motijheel without a formal safety certification since 2023.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) commissioned the audit in December last year following two bearing-pad failures within a year at nearby locations along the 20.1-km elevated corridor.
The latest incident, on October 26, resulted in the death of a pedestrian.
In the wake of the accident, the High Court on December 4 ordered a comprehensive inspection of the entire corridor by a high-powered committee and directed it to submit a safety-audit report within 10 days identifying any operational risks associated with the metro system.
Sources said the expert committee, headed by former vice-chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) Mohammad Jahangir Alam, sought additional time because inspecting the elevated infrastructure without adequate equipment proved difficult.
The committee spent five months examining the metro rail infrastructure, power supply, signalling and train control systems, rolling stock, and operation and maintenance procedures before submitting its report to DMTCL last Tuesday.
However, officials declined to disclose the findings, citing the High Court directive.
DMTCL Managing Director Mohammad Shaugatul Alam said the report would be submitted to the High Court through the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD).
He added that he was unaware of the findings because the sealed report had already been handed over to the division.
Sources familiar with the report said the committee recommended obtaining safety certification from an internationally accredited agency to ensure the safe operation of MRT Line-6.
A similar recommendation had earlier been made by the inquiry committee formed after the October 26 fatal accident, which suggested appointing a third-party consultant, preferably from Europe, for the certification process.
The expert team also reportedly found displacement of bearing pads at several locations beyond the accident sites at piers 430 and 433. The corridor consists of 583 piers, each fitted with four heavy-duty bearing pads.
Following the first bearing pad failure in September 2024, which caused no casualties, the contractor installed protective brackets around the pads. Investigators, however, found that the brackets were not designed to prevent further displacement.
Although metro rail systems are required to obtain safety accreditation before commercial operation, MRT-6 was launched in late December 2022 without certification from the commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), despite being the country's first metro rail service.
Sources said the then Awami League government pushed for the partial commissioning of the project ahead of the national election, even though adequate trial runs had not been completed.
The audit team also recommended strengthening DMTCL's institutional capacity by recruiting skilled personnel and developing a formal accreditation system, noting that local expertise remains insufficient for comprehensive inspection and safety oversight of metro rail lines.
smunima@yahoo.com
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