A total of six metro rail projects are underway in Dhaka. The work on the Motijheel-Kamalapur extension of MRT Line-6 is in its final stages. In the 2026-27 fiscal year, Tk 13,159 crore has been allocated for three metro rail projects including this one. The government will investigate and decide on the remaining three projects.
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury recently spoke to reporters about the matter. He said that corruption has occurred in some projects in the past. The IMED (Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department) will identify the projects that have come about through corruption or mismanagement. Action will be taken regarding these projects through investigation.
He also said that he hopes that the picture of Bangladesh's future development will be reflected there.
The Finance Minister said, “We think these projects will be done in a new way. Because, they have to be completed on time. And the extent to which we will complete these unfinished works that we have received from the past will be resolved through a review. Those that are not really necessary will be eliminated. Those that have been allocated will be given, and the rest will be investigated and action will be taken.”
Allocation of Tk 7350 crore for MRT Line-1 (Underground)
The country's first subway will be implemented from the airport to Kamalapur and from Notunbazar to Purbachal. For this ongoing project, an allocation of Tk 7,350 crore has been made in the Annual Development Program (RADP). In the last fiscal year, Tk 3,594 crore was allocated. As a result, the allocation for the country's first subway has increased this time.
By 2026, MRT Line-1, with both underground and elevated facilities, will be constructed from the airport to Kamalapur and Purbachal to Notunbazar at a cost of Tk 52,561.43 crore.
According to the project details, MRT Line-1 will have two parts. One of them is a 19.872-kilometer section from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur (Airport Route). It will be underground. It will have 12 stations.
The other part is from Notunbazar to Purbachal (Purbachal route), with an elevated line of about 11.37 kilometers. It will have seven stations.
Notunbazar and Nadda stations will be underground as part of the airport route. The Bangladesh government and development partner Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will bear the cost of the construction of MRT Line 1.
Of this, JICA will provide Tk 39,450.32 crore as project assistance (PA) and the Bangladesh government will provide Tk 13,111.11 crore. The consortium led by the Japanese firm will supervise the construction of the Airport-Kamalapur-Purbachal metro line.
Earlier in 2019, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the MRT Line-1 project at Tk 52,561.43 crore.
Tk 1,899 crore allocated for MRT-6 project
An allocation of Tk 1,899 crore has been made for the Metrorail Line MRT-6 (Motijheel to Kamalapur) project in the fiscal year 2026-27. The project is in its final stages of implementation. Tk 1,641 crore was allocated in the last revised ADP. As a result, the allocation under the project has been increased in the new ADP.
MRT-5, Northern Route (Underground) allocated Tk 3909 cr
The metro rail line MRT-5 (Northern) will be constructed under the project. The allocation has been increased to move the work forward. In the fiscal year 2026-27, Tk 3,909 crore has been allocated for this project. However, in the last revised annual development program, only Tk 868 crore was allocated for the project.
The second underground metro rail of Bangladesh will be built under the MRT Line-5 project. The project will build a total of 20 kilometers long line, including 13.50 kilometers underground and 6.50 kilometers elevated, from Hemayetpur in Savar to Bhatara in the capital. There will be 14 stations (9 underground and 5 elevated) for passengers to get on and off. The project is planned to be completed by 2028. Its construction cost has been estimated at Tk 41,238 crore. JICA is also providing loan assistance for this project.
The route alignment of MRT Line-5 is - Hemayetpur-Boliarpur-Bilamalia-Aminbazar and Gabtoli. From there, it will pass through Darus Salam-Mirpur-1-Mirpur-10-Mirpur-14 and Kachukhet to Banani. Then, the line will pass through Gulshan-2 and Notunbazar to Bhatara. Of which, there will be a flyover from Hemayetpur to Aminbazar and Bhatara and an underground connection from Gabtoli to Notunbazar.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) said that Metrorail is a rapid transit system in Dhaka. The regulatory body is Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited. JICA and DMTCL plan to build a total of six metro lines with a length of 128 kilometers by 2030. The network will have 51 overground stations and 53 underground stations.
The six lines will be able to transport 4.7 million passengers a day together. There are plans to build a total of six metro rail lines in Dhaka by 2030. These are-MRT Line-1, MRT Line-2, MRT Line-4, MRT Line-5 (Northern Route) and MRT Line-5 (Southern Route). One of these is nearing completion (Line-6). Three metro rail lines have been allocated, including this one.
3 metro projects stalled
The MRT-5 Southern, MRT-2 and MRT-4 projects have been in limbo due to the lack of allocation in the Annual Development Program.
MRT Line-5 Southern Route is the second approved metro rail project connecting Dhaka to the east-west. The 17.20 km long route from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi via Aftabnagar is expected to have 11 underground and four overground stations. The total cost of the project is Tk 47,649 crore.
There was a plan to build MRT Line-2. The length of the proposed route was 35 km. The cost of construction was estimated at around Tk 61,000 crore. Later, the route was determined from Gabtoli to Demra in the final report of the updated strategic transport plan of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).
The length of this route is 23.5 kilometers. This metro line will start from Gabtoli and go through Dhaka Udyan, Basila More, Mohammadpur BRTC Bus Stand, Jigatola, Science Lab, New Market, Azimpur, Lalbagh, Chawkbazar, Mitford, Nayabazar, Dholaikhal, Dayaganj, Kajla, Demra and reach Tarabo Bus Stand.
The MRT-4 route will start from Kamalapur and end at Madanpur in Narayanganj via Sayedabad-Jatrabari-Shanir Akhra-Signboard-Chittagong Road. The length of the metro rail will be 16 kilometers. The initial cost of its implementation has been set at Tk 28,400 crore.
When asked what will happen to these three metro rail projects, DMTCL Director (Planning and Development) Md. Abdul Baki Mia told Daily Industry, 'I don't know what will happen to the remaining three. I am here for a few more days. I won't say anything about this. I don't know what will happen to the three metro rail projects.'
In this regard, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited Managing Director (Additional Secretary) Md. Shaogatul Alam's Private Secretary (Deputy Secretary) Md. Zahidul Islam told Daily Industry, “The rest are in the initial stage. We can initially propose but the government will take the decision. We don't know what the decision has been.”
