Survey, design completed for 31-km subway metro

Staff Correspondent: The government has successfully completedstudy, survey and basic design for construction of 31.241-km first everunderground and elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-1 between Airport-Kamalapur and Purbachal-Natun Bazar-Pitalganj of Rupganj route.
“With maintaining health guidelines strictly, we’ve also completed 77 percent work of the detailed design of the project,” Managing Director of DhakaMass Transit Company Limited MAN Siddique told yesterday.
He said the joint survey work has been completed for acquisition of 92.9725acres of land at Rupganj in Narayanganj district.
“The government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has planned to bringthe capital city under a modern transport system so that the city dwellerscan avail modern transport facilities,” Siddique added.
According to the project details, the government has taken up MRT Line-1project for construction of the country’s first ever 31.241-km undergroundand elevated expressway between Airport-Kamalapur route and Purbachal-NatunBazar-Pitalganj Depot, Rupganj route.
Under the part one of MRT Line-1, Airport Route from Airport to Kamalapurwill have 19.872 km long sub-way with 12 stations.
The part two is Purbachal Route (Natun Bazar to Pitalganj Depot, Rupganj)and this route will have 11.369 km elevated way with nine stations, of whichseven stations will be overhead and Natun Bazar and Jamuna Future Parkstations will be underground as part of the airport route.
The managing director said that the Natun Bazar station will have inter-change facility, from where passengers will have scope to go to Airport routefrom Purbachal or Purbachal route to Airport using the inter-change.
He said the joint survey has been completed to acquire 92.9625 acres ofland for depot and depot access corridor of MRT Line-1 at Pitalganj andBrahmankhali mouzas of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj district.
The authority has floated expression of interest (EOI) for appointingconsultant to oversee construction work in February, 2021. In July, theevaluation report of Expression of Interest (EOI) and Request for Proposal(RFP) have been sent to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for itsconsent.
A tender was invited for the construction of the depot of MRT Line-1 atPitalganj on June 10 and the deadline for submitting the tender is October 6.