Japanese firm to build MRT depot, workshop

The metro rail project is set to get its first contractor for developing a site for constructing depot and workshop for mass rapid transit line (MRT-6), officials said.
The Dhaka MRT Development (DMRTD) project has already obtained concurrence from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to go ahead with its evaluation report that recommended a Japanese company to carry the Tk 5.5 billion work, they added.
Sources said the proposal of the company-- Tokyo Construction Limited--is now under the vetting of the law ministry.
They said work order will be given to the company after the board of the DMRT company  gives its nod.
Pre-qualification (PQ) bidding for development of the depot land at Uttara was opened finally at the end of April last year as the project felt the need for it for having soil materials.
The PQ bidding was closed on June 22 and three companies were pre-qualified.
     The DMRTD project incorporated the depot land development work in its eight tender packages as its consultant and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) recommended it after finding the site's soil unfit for erecting different structures.
According to them, the land needs to carry liquefaction and dynamic compaction work on the soil.
However, sources said, land development work of the depot site is challenging as it needs mitigation measures to project structures nearby the depot land.
The DMRTD project has long been facing challenges to get a land for the 20-kilometre MRT-6 as different authorities refused to provide more than 50 acres for it.
Finally, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhha gave 54 acres of land from the Uttara 3rd project site following intervention of the higher authority.
The DMRTD project called the first tender in January for purchasing 24 sets of trains for the MRT line-6.
The second tender of the project was floated on March 17 to introduce electrical and mechanical system for the line, under which two big sub- stations and seven small stations will be constructed to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the metro rail service
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