Another Dhaka metro, 28-min east-west ride in sight

For commuters losing hours to Dhaka’s notorious traffic, a new metro line could turn a long cross-city journey into a 28-minute ride, with the long-delayed MRT Line-5 Southern Route set to go before the ECNEC for approval tomorrow.

The 17.2-kilometre line will connect Gabtoli in the west with Daserkandi in the east, offering a faster east-west link through some of the capital’s busiest areas, including Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon and Aftabnagar, a senior Planning Commission official told the Daily Sun.

The estimated project cost has now been reduced to Tk45,503.77 crore from Tk47,721.44 crore in the previous proposal. The original estimate was around Tk54,618.96 crore, putting the latest cost about Tk9,115.19 crore below the initial estimate.

“The project is being placed before ECNEC on Wednesday. The latest DPP has incorporated the necessary revisions following a detailed review, including further reductions in project costs,” the Planning Commission official told the Daily Sun. The project will be implemented by Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) under the Road Transport and Highways Division, with the implementation period scheduled from September 2026 to August 2033.

The latest reduction of around Tk2,217.67 crore came mainly from excluding nearly Tk2,000 crore in interest-related costs from the project budget, along with cuts in land acquisition, administrative and other expenses.

Under the revised proposal, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) will provide loans totalling around Tk30,306.10 crore, while the government will contribute Tk15,197.66 crore.

A reduction in land requirements also helped bring down the cost. The proposed requirement has been cut from 23.09 hectares to 9.104 hectares, resulting in substantial savings in land acquisition costs.

Project Director of MRT Line-5 (Southern Route) Brigadier General (Retd.) Md Abdul Wohab said the project was initially divided into two packages, with the first being a technical assistance (TA) project.

“The TA project focused on the feasibility study, detailed design and preparation of contract documents. These works were completed by 2024,” he said.

However, the main project could not proceed amid the country’s political transition. Although it was placed for approval during the interim government, it was later held back as the government decided to limit the number of large development projects.

“The project has now been revived under the current government, which is keen to implement it quickly. Necessary preparations are under way to start work soon,” Wohab said.

He said the project was initially estimated to cost around Tk55,000 crore. Following completion of the detailed design, however, the estimate was reassessed and reduced by around Tk7,000 crore.

He stressed that the initial figure was only an estimate and that the reduction did not result from any shortcomings in the feasibility study.

The MRT-5 Southern Route is designed to provide a faster public transport link between western and eastern Dhaka, with the journey from Gabtoli to Daserkandi expected to take around 28 minutes.

The line will have 11 underground stations and four elevated stations.

The alignment will run from Gabtoli through Technical, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Russell Square, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Aftabnagar Centre, Aftabnagar East and Nasirabad before reaching Daserkandi.

Project estimates suggest that around 924,000 passengers could use the line daily by 2031.

The project is expected to ease pressure on Dhaka’s roads, save working hours and reduce carbon emissions by encouraging a shift from road-based transport to mass transit.

A pre-feasibility study found that around 20.8% of metro passengers could shift from road-based transport, with medium buses accounting for the largest share of the shift.

The project was originally planned several years ago but remained stalled after feasibility studies and detailed design work were completed.

The government is now treating the Southern Route as a priority as it seeks to expand Dhaka’s mass transit network and tackle the capital’s chronic congestion.

According to the Planning Commission project summary, pre-feasibility studies, basic engineering design, detailed design, tender assistance, land acquisition planning and a resettlement action plan have already been completed under an ADB-funded technical assistance project.

The proposed line is part of the wider MRT network planned under the Revised Strategic Transport Plan, which envisages five metro lines across Dhaka.

Prof Md Shamsul Hoque, a transport expert and professor of civil engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said the project was people-oriented but its high cost warranted careful scrutiny before approval.

“The government should have conducted a more comprehensive comparative assessment, including benchmarking the project against similar metro systems in other countries, before finalising such a large investment,” he told the Daily Sun.

He said ensuring the financial viability of the largely underground MRT-5 would be a major challenge, particularly as the existing MRT-6, which is mostly elevated, is yet to achieve full financial viability.

“An underground metro requires much higher maintenance and security costs. It will also consume significant amounts of electricity for ventilation, lighting, safety and other systems,” Prof Hoque said.

He also questioned whether Bangladesh should continue relying heavily on older metro concepts when many countries are adopting newer technologies to reduce construction and operating costs, including renewable energy such as solar power.

“We have to spend public money very carefully. Otherwise, people will eventually ask for an account of how their money was spent,” he said.

Prof Hoque cautioned against excessive reliance on a single development partner, saying Bangladesh should compare technologies, financing terms and procurement conditions offered by different countries and institutions before making major investment decisions.

“Even when a loan is described as soft financing, there can be various conditions attached, including requirements related to consultants, equipment and procurement. These conditions can ultimately push up the real cost of a project,” he said.

He also stressed the need for strong connectivity between the proposed metro stations and other public transport services, particularly as passenger demand on the Southern Route is expected to be lower than on some other metro corridors.

“Metro rail is a major investment. The government must ensure that every taka of public money delivers maximum value. Since a large portion of this line will be underground, both construction and operation will be challenging, and these risks need to be carefully assessed before implementation,” he said.