The government has planned to set up another metro rail line from Gabtoli to Vatara in the city as a Japanese firm in its feasibility study has found the east-west corridor as an important Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line to connect it with four other MRTs.
Nippon KOEI which carried out the study with technical support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recommended constructing the MRT line-5 for easing heavy traffic pressure in the north and south and less need for land acquisition.
The Japanese company also suggested constructing the MRT-1 to connect Uttara with Jatrabari via Kamalapur railway station on a priority basis, but it is yet to start the feasibility study.
At present, MRT-6 and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line-3 are being set up to establish link between North and South from two different corridors.
Officials said the Japanese company early this month shared the findings with the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) and recommended constructing 35-kilometres (km) MRT-5 corridor in two phases.
"The 13-km north route of MRT-5 has higher traffic demand than that of south one," according to the study report.
The DTCA officials said the report recommended establishing 10 stations at Darussalam, Mirpur-1, 10 and 14, Kachukhet, Banani, Gulshan-2 and Natun Bazar with a depot on 24 hectares of land in Bashundhara.
The project for southern part of MRT-5 should be taken in second phase, they added. The officials said it would be difficult for them to get permission from the authority concerned to set up the line through the Cantonment area. To resolve the problem, they said, the JICA team recommended setting up the MRT-5 underground.
"There might be other options like elevated or partial underground within the corridor to resolve the problem. The options will be confirmed during the detailed feasibility study," said a DTCA official.
The study report estimated the cost of the MRT-5 project at Tk 138.49 billion if the entire line is constructed in elevated way, but the cost would increase to Tk 155.33 billion if constructed with mixed option.
The MRT line-5 has been considered as a circular mass transit system having initial connectivity with MRT-6 and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) 3 from different areas.
Though the government has already made progress in implementing the MRT-6 and BRT-3, the DTCA officials said, the JICA study team recommended constructing two other MRT lines and one BRT line in the Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP).
The team like other JICA study teams recommended extending the city's developing suburban areas to lessen pressure of the population on the central business district.
Earlier, JICA studies have recommended expansion of Dhaka city to spread its population from Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).
Dhaka has been marked as the highly densely city among 20 populous cities in the world. Some 44,000 people live in per kilometre area of the city with 337 kilometres of DMA and 1,528 km of RAJUK.
Suburban areas recommended to be developed are Gazipur, Savar, Purbachal, Jhilmil and Narayanganj which are likely to be connected with the RSTP through building a network of five MRTs and two BRTs.
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