Indian, Japanese partners to build Dhaka metro section
Collected Photo
A joint venture between India’s Tata Projects, Japan’s Nishimatsu Construction, and Toda Corporation secured the contract to construct the first underground section of the Dhaka Metro Rail.
The contract, valued around $653 million, covers the construction of a 5.182-kilometer underground railway and three stations.
In a statement released on Thursday, Tata Projects confirmed that the Nishimatsu-Tata-Toda Joint Venture received Contract Package-06 (CP-06) from Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) for building this critical segment of Dhaka’s metro network.
Under the agreement, alongside the 5.182-kilometer main underground railway, three underground stations will be built at Khilkhet, Airport Terminal-3, and Airport, along with a shaft at the northern end of the project.
The scope of work encompasses structural construction, architectural finishing, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems. Construction is targeted for completion within five years once work commences, with joint funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the government of Bangladesh.
Rajeev Menon, president, chief growth and strategy officer of Tata Projects, said, “Investment in metro rail and rail infrastructure is growing due to urbanization across Asia, the Middle East, and emerging economies. This Dhaka project will enhance Tata Projects’ capability and credibility in executing complex international infrastructure projects.”
Construction of 9.629 km underground railway
Earlier in November, the government signed construction contracts for four crucial packages under MRT Line-1, the country’s first underground metro rail project, covering underground tunnels, stations, tracks, power, signaling, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Among these, Package CP-04 involves constructing a 4.447-kilometer underground railway from the northern end of Rampura underground station to Notun Bazar Station, while Package CP-06 covers a 5.182-kilometer section from the northern end of Nadda underground station to Airport Station, totaling 9.629 kilometers of underground railway across both packages.
Meanwhile, Package CP-09 covers railway tracks, turnouts, points, crossings, and power infrastructure, while Package CP-10 includes signaling and telecommunications systems, platform screen doors, and enterprise resource management systems utilizing Communication-Based Automatic Train Control (CBATC) technology, optical fiber networks, and LTE-based radio communication.
Expansion of Dhaka metro rail network
In September, the government approved three major metro rail projects - MRT Line-1, MRT Line-5 Northern Route, and MRT Line-5 Southern Route - at an estimated cost of Tk 2.5 lakh crore to build east-west and north-south transit corridors.
Under these plans, key areas including Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Purbachal, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Gulshan, Badda, Aftabnagar, and Dasherkandi will be connected, alongside creating several interconnections with the existing MRT Line-6.
As the nation’s first underground metro, MRT Line-1 is planned to run via Airport, Airport Terminal-3, Khilkhet, Nadda, Notun Bazar, North Badda, Badda, Aftabnagar, Rampura, Malibagh, Rajarbagh, and Kamalapur.
