Metro Rail-2 under PPP

The government will build Metro Rail Line-2 from Gabtali to Chattagram Road in Narayanganj via Bosila, Jigatola, New Market, Palashi, Motijheel, Kamalapur and Demra under Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Under the government-to-government (G2G) modality, Japan will finance the PPP project titled Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-2 with a length of 24 kilometres with both elevated and underground combined.

The country will also fund another four projects to construct multi-modal transportation hubs at Kamalapur and Biman Bandar Railway Station, Dhaka outer ring road and to improve Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway.

The Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) has asked the implementing agencies to accelerate the works related to project preparations in a meeting held on Monday chaired by Ahmad Kaikaus, principal secretary to the prime minister.

Md Nazrul Islam, secretary to Road, Transport and Highways Division, Md Salim Reza, secretary to the Ministry of Railways, Md Shamsuzzaman, director general of Bangladesh Railway, MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) and Quazi Shahriar Hossain, chief engineer of Roads and Highway Department were present at the meeting.

Respective project directors discussed the status of each project revealed at a press release issued by the PPPA on Thursday.

Sultana Afroz, CEO of Public-Private Partnership Authority, emphasised the importance of moving forward with the PPP projects with Japan on a G2G modality.

She said if these projects are successfully implemented, it will bring significant changes in the development landscape of Bangladesh.

Ahmad Kaikaus said it is important to take up the projects that are commercially viable from which both the government and the private investors benefit.

He also asked Bangladesh Railway to utilise its land for building railway infrastructure to ease communications in the country.

The railway secretary said the Multi-modal Transportation Hub at Kamalapur can now move at an accelerated pace as DMTCL and Bangladesh Railway have come to a project design that is acceptable to both parties. 

Secretary to Road, Transport and Highways Division said Roads and Highways Division is engaged in two PPP projects with Japan under G2G modality.

Officials of the PPPA said, the new MRT will transport about 2.5 lakh people in Kamlapur-Demra-Chattagram route and more than 60 thousand people in Gabtali-Kamlapur route per day based on a pre-feasibility report.

The MRT-2 route from Gabtoli to Chattogram Road will have 24 stations between them.

The government is implementing MRT-6 metro rail from Uttara (3rd Phase) to Motijheel with an estimated cost of about Tk21,985 crore. The overall physical progress of the project is 53.58%.

The government approved two more metro rails – MRT-5 northern with an estimated cost of Tk41,235 crore and MRT-1  at an estimated cost of Tk52,561 crore.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) is providing TK85,162 crore to implement the ongoing three metro rail projects.

PPPA officials said the fourth metro rail would be implemented under PPP with the G2G finance of Japan.

A detailed feasibility study would start within the next few months depending on the support of Jica.