The first tender of the much-expected Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (metro rail) will be floated in January to purchase locomotives and coaches.
The government planned to float tender for the lone depot first, but it has been delayed because of failure in completing soil tests in the proposed area.
Metro rail project officials say they have recently procured 21.85 hectares (54 acres) of land from Rajuk’s Uttara Third Phase Project to build the depot. But as per a recent soil test report, the area is not suitable for the construction of any type of infrastructure after general piling.
So, a specialised piling system called “sand confection piling” is needed now, but it is expensive, the officials say.
The estimated cost of the 20.1km elevated metro rail project – stretching from Uttara to Motijheel – is Tk21,985.07 crore, which will be divided into eight contract packages. Officials say they now need more money to accommodate the sand confection piling. However, they could not say how much the cost may rise.
Project Director Mofazzel Hossain said: “Separate tenders will be floated for the eight contract packages starting from January until July 2016.”
He expressed hope that the first part of the construction may end by December 2019 while the whole project will be completed by 2024.
To build the only depot has been given priority as it would be needed to set the project rolling, Mofazzel said.
“As per the test report, soil of the depot area is less suitable for any construction work. Moreover, we have already purchased land from Rajuk. In this situation, the cost of depot construction will rise.
“Since we need to revise the cost of building the depot, we cannot float tender for this part,” he said.
Under the first tender, 24 locomotives and 144 coaches would be procured from manufacturers and suppliers. The 24 trains, each having six coaches, will run from Uttara to Bangladesh Bank, Mofazzel added.
The second tender will be floated to develop different kinds of infrastructure on the depot site, including administrative buildings, rest houses, staff quarters, water-treatment plant and training institutes.
As per the plan, the metro rail will have 16 stations to connect Uttara and Motijheel via Pallabi, Mirpur 10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, the TSC and the National Press Club.
The last tender will be called to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply and other mechanical supply for the project.
The government took the project under a 20-year-long Strategic Transport Plan (STP), after Japanese consultants in 2011 found that the Uttara-Motijheel corridor was feasible for the first metro rail.
The trains will run every 3.5 minutes and take 37 minutes to reach Motijheel from Uttara.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has committed to funding of Tk16,594.59 crore while the government will provide Tk5,390.48 crore.
A Japanese consortium is currently working on the detailed design of the project. It is also carrying out a topographical survey, traffic survey and geotechnical survey in different parts of the project area.
