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State-owned Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) sought approval from the Planning Commission last week for the MRT-5 southern route, which will connect Gabtoli in Dhaka's western part with Dasherkandi in the eastern part.
Once approved, the MRT-5 southern route will be the fourth leg of Dhaka's metro-rail network. It will connect Mirpur road, Panthapath, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, and Aftabnagar.
Of the 17.2-kilometre MRT-5 southern route, 13.1 kilometres from Gabtoli to Aftabnagar will be built underground, while the remaining 4.1 kilometres from Aftabnagar to Dasherkandi will be elevated.
In the development project proposal, DMTCL estimates the cost of the project at Tk 546.19 billion.
DMTCL officials said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Korea Economic Development Co-operation
Fund (EDCF) will finance the lion's share of the cost.
According to the project proposal, the southern route will be completed in December 2030. A senior Planning Commission official said they are scrutinising the proposal.
On Saturday this week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of the MRT-5 northern route. On the same day, the premier opened the MRT-6 route, which is now carrying passengers from Uttara in northern Dhaka to Motijheel, the southern business hub.
In October 2019, the government approved the 20-kilometre MRT-5 northern route at an estimated cost of Tk 412.39 billion. The line will be built from Hemayetpur-Gabtoli-Mirpur 1, Mirpur-10, Kachukhet-Banani-Gulshan-Natun Bazar-Vatara.
The proposed MRT-5 southern route will be the fourth route after the currently operated MRT-6 from Uttara to Motijheel, the recently inaugurated (groundbreaking work) of the MRT-1 (Airport-Kamlapur) and MRT-5 North (Hemayetpur-Gabtoli-Vatara) lines.
"A few days back, we received the Development Project Proposal (DPP) of the MRT-5 southern route. Now we will scrutinise it and then recommend for approval," a senior Planning Commission official said.
DMTCL has proposed to build a depot at Dasherkandi, an eastern area of Dhaka city. It will procure 19 sets of trains with 6 passenger coaches for operation on the route.
Once operational in December 2030, the 19 sets of trains will carry some 19,500 passengers per hour.
The MRT-5 southern route will intersect the MRT-6 line at Kawran Bazar, the MRT-5 (north) line at Gabtoli and the MRT-1 line at Aftabnagar.
The southern line will have 15 stations on the 17.2-kilometre stretch, which will take 28 minutes to cross from one end to the other.
Bangladesh entered the MRT era with the opening of the first section of line-6 on December 28 last year. The 11.7-kilometre line runs from Uttara North to Agargaon with seven intermediate stations.
The remaining section of the MRT-6 line, from Agargaon to Motijheel, opened on November 5, 2023.
In February this year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also inaugurated the construction of the Tk 525.61 billion MRT-1 route, the country's first-ever underground metro rail. The opening ceremony marked the start of depot construction work at Pitalganj in Narayanganj.
The Japan-supported MRT-1 will have two routes: a 19.872-kilometre underground line from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur (Airport Route) with 12 stations, and an 11.37-kilometre elevated line from Natun Bazar to Purbachal (Purbachal Route) with seven stations, with Natun Bazar and Nordda stations being underground as part of the Airport Route
Another senior Planning Commission official said they are scrutinising the DPP of the MRT-5 southern route submitted by the DMTCL.
"After scrutinising all the components of the project, we will recommend it for approval if it qualifies. We will be cautious about the estimated costs for each component, as we have already approved three other MRT projects," he added.