Tender in Nov for MRT in city under $2.7b project

Munima Sultana | Published: September 05, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The first tender will be floated in November to build a depot at Uttara in the city under the US$ 2.7 billion Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, officials said.
As per the tentative schedule, Dhaka MRT Development (DMRTD) project authorities have set the time for the first tender. The US$ 2.7 billion MRT project works will be divided into eight contract packages.
"As per the schedule, we are also planning to start prequalification of other packages in May or June next year with the target to invite tender of construction-related works by the end of 2015," said DMRTD project director Mohammad Mofazzel Hossain.
He said depot-land development has been given priority as it would first be needed to set the project rolling.
The project director said some 24 sets of trains will be parked on the land with all kinds of facilities, including workshop, washing plants and administrative and supportive buildings to be built after the depot- land development.
Sources said the land-development work on the depot site has been necessary to cover canal which the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakhya (RAJUK) dug to construct an artificial channel for its Uttara 3rd-phase housing project.
The DMRTD project recently received the 54 acres depot land from the Uttara 3rd-phase project following pressure by different quarters, including the Prime Minister Office, as it was a prime need for implementing the much-desired MRT line-6 project.
Officials said the second tender will be floated to develop different kinds of infrastructures on the depot site. Those include administrative building, rest house, staff-accommodation building, train depot, water-treatment plant and training institutes.
Apart from the two types of works, the DMRTD project office has also divided construction of entire 20.1-km MRT route into four packages.
The mass-transit transport route runs from Uttara 3rd-phase to capital's business-district Motijheel.
As planned, the MRT line-6 will have 16 stations to connect Uttara and Motijheel via Pallabi, Mirpur-10, Shewrapara, Rokeya Sarani, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Press Club and Bangladesh Bank.
The PD said the rolling stone-procurement tender will be invited to procure 144 coaches to run the MRT line-6. Some 24 trains will run to and from Uttara and Bangladesh Bank. Each train will have six coaches.
The last tender will be called to ensure uninterrupted electric supply and other mechanical supply for the MRT.
Though the electricity supply for the first city MRT has been planned by setting up its own substation, the official said, to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply, the project will keep more than two sources for power supply so that in one crisis, another one can give the support to run and operate the mass transport.
The government has taken the Tk 220 billion MRT line-6 project under a 20-year-long transport policy, Strategic Transport Plan, after Japanese consultants in 2011 found the Uttara-Motijheel corridor feasible for the first MRT having the highest number of commuters.
In a major development, the funding crisis is over after the Japanese government committed maximum support for the busiest corridor to enable 30,000 passengers crossing it in total 37 minutes.
The project has already made a good progress with the technical support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The detailed design work has been carried out by a Japanese consortium. It is expected to be completed in 2016.
The present government has enlisted the MRT project as one of the fast-track projects to give priority to the setting up of the much-cherished mass-transport system for the mega-city Dhaka.