Govt plans to start MRT-2, 4 construction

After the MRT line-1 and MRT line-5, the government has planned to start construction of the MRT-2 and MRT-4, and to manage Tk 892.36-billion funds from overseas donors, officials said on Friday.
The government will request the Economic Relations Division (ERD) to look for funds for both the MRT projects, which will connect Dhaka with adjacent district town of Narayanganj.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has proposed Tk 284 - billion cost for constructing the 16-km MRT-4 from Kamlapur in Dhaka to Madanpur in Narayanganj.
The company has also sought Tk 608.36 billion for installing the 35.50-km MRT-2 from Gabtoli to Narayanganj.
The DMTCL has recently sought approval for the preliminary development project proposals (PDPPs) of the MRT-2 and MRT-4 from the Planning Commission (PC). After the PC's approval, the projects will be sent to the ERD for managing funds.
A PC official said they have recently scrutinised the PDPPs of the projects and asked the DMTCL to conduct detailed feasibility study before searching for foreign funding.
"After getting the feasibility study reports, we will send the PDPPs to the ERD for managing funds," he added.
Meanwhile, with the financial support of Japan, the DMTCL has recently started works for constructing the 30.6-km MRT-1 from Airport to Kamlapur and the 20-km MRT-5 from Hemayetpur to Vatara.
The company has already started construction of the MRT-1 and the MRT-5, expected to be commenced in 2026 and 2028 respectively.
Besides, the DMTCL has opened a partial line of the MRT-6, Dhaka's first metro-rail, in last December. In next December, the entire 20.1-km line from Uttara to Motijheel will be opened.
The government has plans to build around 130-km metro-rail network by 2030 - with six lines crisscrossing Dhaka and adjacent areas - as part of its efforts to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the capital.
According to the latest PDPP, the DMTCL will construct the MRT-4 on Kamlapur-Sayedabad-Jatrabari-Shonir Akhra-Signboard-Chittagong Road-Kanchpur-Madanpur route.
The line can be completed by July 2030, if necessary fund is mobilised within this year.
The MRT-2 will have two lines - one main line and one branch line. The 24-km main line will be built on Gabtoli-Dhaka Udyan-Mohammadpur Bus Stand-Jigatola-Science Laboratory-New Market-Azimpur-Palashi-Dhaka Medical College-Gulistan-Motijheel-Kamlapur Railway Station-Manda-Dakhingaon-Dhamripara-Signboard-Bhuigar-Jalkuri-Narayanganj route.
The 11.5-km branch line will be on Golap Shah Majar-Nayabazar-Sadarghat route. The MRT-2 will be both elevated and underground.
"We have scrutinised the DMTCL's PDPPs for the MRT-2 and the MRT-4 projects. We have told the company to conduct feasibility study before looking for foreign funds," said another senior PC official.
"After getting the feasibility study reports, we will request the ERD for managing foreign aid from different lenders, including Japan, Korea and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)," he added.
A DMTCL official said the Korean development partner EDCF has already expressed its interest to bankroll the MRT-4.
"But we need to seek the funds from Korea formally. So, we have sought approval of the PDPP from the PC first. Then it will be sent to the ERD for finding out necessary funds," he told the FE.

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