Tender for Dhaka metro rail project in December 2015

"The commercial operation of the metro rail will start in December 2019," he said while inaugurating piling work for development of a metro rail depot under the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit (DMRT) project at Uttara 3rd phase in the capital city on 11 June, the BSS News Agency reported.

Implementation of the DMRT project has finally overcome a major hurdle with the project getting land for its depot from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (Rajuk).

Officials said the Rajuk (Capital Development Authority of Bangladesh) officially confirmed handover of its entire 54 acres of land for the MRT Line Six project in a letter on 29 May. "The land was finally handed over to the project office by Rajuk on 11 June," said an official.

The project had been facing the stalemate over the land for its depot since its very beginning. Initially, the project's Japanese consultants proposed the depot site at Pallabi. The relevant authority, however, had to shift the site to the Uttara 3rd Phase area in the absence of clearance from the Bangladesh Army.

Despite pressure from the higher authority and the fast-track task force committee to hand over the Rajuk land for the project, it resorted to dilly-dallying for reasons not known. The fast-track task force committee finally fixed the 31 March deadline for the Rajuk to hand over the land.

Officials said after getting the land, a geo-technical survey on the land was launched in presence of Communications Minister Obaidul Quader on 11 June 2014. "There were uncertainties over the metro rail but now the clouds are over", the minister said, adding that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would provide the lion's share of the project and the government would provide the remaining amount.

The project, to be developed in the city's busiest north-south corridor from Uttara to Motijheel, was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 18 December 2012.

The 20.5km metro rail route from the Uttara 3rd Phase to Bangladesh Bank (Motijheel) through Pallabi, West Rokeya Smarani and Topkhana Road will have 16 stations.

The stations include Uttara North, Uttara Central, Uttara South, Pallabi, IMT, Mirpur Section 10-7, Kazipara, Taltala, Agargaon, Bijoy Smarani, Farmgate, Sonargaon, Jadughar, Doyel Chattar, National Stadium and Bangladesh Bank.

Officials said the project has already made good progress with the appointment of a consortium of foreign consultants for carrying out a detailed design. The project has been taken with the major funding from the Japanese government which committed to provide USD 2.1 billion out of the total cost of USD 2.9 billion.