MRT-06 extension work unlikely to meet deadline

Work on the extension of the metro rail corridor from Motijheel to Kamalapur station is likely to fail the mid-2025 deadline due to slow progress by its Thai contractor for fund crunch.
However, sources said it might take another year for completion of the work.
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) earlier declared to finish the 1.16-kilometre Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line-06 work by mid-2025.
The DMTCL entered into a contract with the Italian-Thailand Development Public Limited Company (ITD) on 01 February 2023.
Sources said the Thai company, which earlier delayed the construction of MRT-06 packages 3 and 4, could not make good progress in the ongoing work for fund shortages as its mother organisation is in financial straits.
Admitting to slow progress, MRT-06 project director Mohammad Zakaria said progress in the civil work was good but it lagged behind in mechanical and electrical work.
According to the progress report shared on the DMTCL website till November, total progress of the MRT-06 extension part was recorded at 43.5 per cent, which was 40 per cent last May.
Mr Zakaria said the progress was recorded at 45 per cent in December.
The FE finds that the elevated structure from Motijheel to Kamalapur rail station has been visible along with the concourse part of the station.
According to the progress report, all piling work was done in November but work on capping four piles remained pending.
However, some 113 metre out of 180-metre concourse roof pavement work was completed.
The DMTCL took the extension work of MRT-06, which is now in operation from Uttara to Motijheel, to make it the first metro rail with scope of multi-modal transport.
Partially opened in December 2022, the metro rail has been in operation with limited scope from January 2024 from 7:00 am to 9:40 pm amid challenges like lack of skilled manpower.

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