Bangladesh Approves 3 Dhaka Metro Projects with Total Investment of Nearly 2.5 Trillion Taka

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 16, Bangladesh's Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) reviewed and approved 3 Dhaka metro projects, with a combined investment of approximately 2.497 trillion taka. Among them, the Airport–Kamalapur section of Metro Line 1 and the northern line of Metro Line 5 were approved with adjusted investment plans, while the southern line of Metro Line 5 was approved for advancement as a newly added project. The total investment of the 3 projects is equivalent to approximately US$20 billion.

The Airport–Kamalapur section of Dhaka Metro Line 1 has a total length of 31.24 kilometers, with an adjusted total investment of approximately 1.144 trillion taka. The project had previously been approved for implementation; this adjustment mainly concerns construction costs and the construction period, with the new completion target extended to 2033. The project is financed with the participation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and is one of the north-south trunk lines in Dhaka's rail transit network.

The northern line of Metro Line 5 has a total length of 20 kilometers, with an adjusted total investment of approximately 898.484 billion taka, also supported by financing from the Japanese side. The project connects Hemayetpur and Bhatara. Its progress had previously been slow due to factors such as rising engineering quotations, equipment imports, and contract costs. After this adjustment to the investment plan, it will re-enter the implementation track.

The newly approved southern line of Metro Line 5 connects Gabtoli and Dasherkandi, with a line length of approximately 17.2 kilometers and a total investment of approximately 455.03 billion taka. About 13 kilometers will be constructed underground. According to Asian Development Bank project documents, the line will be built as a backbone line of Dhaka's urban public transport system and will connect with existing and planned metro, bus rapid transit, and railway systems.

The Asian Development Bank has provided approximately US$33.26 million in concessional loans for the preparatory stage of the southern line of Line 5, for feasibility studies, engineering design, and preparation of procurement documents. As of June 2026, the cumulative contract award amount under the relevant loans was approximately US$25.89 million, and cumulative disbursements were approximately US$22.05 million. The subsequent main works are planned to be procured through international competitive bidding, with large-scale civil works and equipment supply respectively subject to the corresponding ADB procurement procedures.

Existing ADB project documents list the southern line of Line 5 as a proposed investment project and plan to advance it through a multi-tranche financing arrangement, with the proposed ADB financing scale at approximately US$2.596 billion. The project construction content includes metro infrastructure, stations, and supporting systems, while also strengthening the project implementation capacity of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited.