Dhaka Metro Rail
Dhaka Metro Rail (), colloquially known as the Dhaka Metro () is an approved mass rapid transit system under construction in Dhaka, the capital and the busiest city of Bangladesh. Together with a separate Light rapid transit (LRT) system, it has been long called for to ease the extreme traffic jams and congestion that occur throughout the entire city daily, one of the heaviest in the world. It is a part of the 20-year long Strategic Transport Plan (STP) outlined by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), a governmental agency. As of 2022, the metro rail system consists  of one line referred to as the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Line-6, with other metro rail lines going to be added in the future. Overview. Line-6 consists of 16 elevated stations each of 180m long and of electricity-powered light rail tracks. All of Line-6, save for the depot, and some of its accompanying LRT, will be elevated above current roads primarily above road medians to allow traffic flow underneath, with stations also elevated. Dhaka Metro is projected to serve more than 60,000 passengers per hour by 2022, with wait times of approximately 4 minutes. The entire route will  be able to be travelled in less than 40 minutes at a speed of , expected to drastically reduce the number of private cars on Dhaka's streets as well as their potentially 7-hour-long standstills. The system plans to use magnetic contactless Integrated Circuit Ticketing commonly also known as smart cards. Platform screen door (PSD) barriers used at the platform level will increase safety and increase efficiency. When the service is in full operation, trains of six air-conditioned spacious cars will arrive every four minutes going each way at each of the 16 stations. The project is being  managed by the Communications Ministry's Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Authority, and a consortium of foreign as well as Bangladeshi firms known as NKDM Association is acting as General Consultant (GC). NKDM Association consists of: Nippon Koei Japan and Development Design Consultants (local consultant - Bangladesh). Conception and origin. In a view to implement Dhaka City's 20-year long Strategic Transport (STP), Bangladesh Government invited Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to conduct a primary survey and feasibility study on the transport system of Dhaka back in 2009–2010. In 2012 the Government's Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved  the project. A loan agreement between Bangladesh Government and JICA was signed in January 2013. Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd. (DMTC), the implementing agency of the first metro line named MRT Line-6 was formed in January 2013. The General Consultant (GC) namely the NKDM Association commenced work from February 2014. In June 2013, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTC) was established by the Government to implement the Metro Rail Lines across the city. Lines. MRT Line-1 (Airport Route). Construction of long underground line, MRT Line-1 (Airport Route) is set to begin in March 2022, costing US$6.1 billion. It will  start from Shahjalal International Airport and stop at Kamalapur Railway Station. Line will have 12 underground stations. Stations will be constructed at Shahjalal International Airport, Shahjalal International Airport Teminal 3, Khilkhet, Jamuna Future Park, Notun Bazar, Uttar Badda, Badda, Hatirjheel East, Rampura, Malibagh, Rajarbagh and Kamalapur Railway Station. MRT Line-1 will have interchange of MRT Line-6, MRT Line-2 and MRT Line-4 at Kamalapur Railway Station. There will be interchange of MRT Line-5 Northern Route and Purbachal route of MRT Line-1 in the Nutun Bazar. Hatirjheel East of MRT Line-1 and Aftab Nagar West Station of MRT Line-5: Southern Route will  have Interchange. Above all, the airport will have an interchange of MRT Line-1 with BRT Line-3. The government will provide US$1.5 billion while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) will fund US$4.6 billion. MRT Line-1 (Purbachal Route). MRT Line-1 (Purbachal Route) will be long and it will have stations at Notun Bazar, Jamuna Future Park, Bashundhara, Police Officers’ Housing Society, Mastul, Purbachal West, Purbachal Centre, Purbachal Sector-7 and Purbachal depot. Of these stations, Notun Bazar and Jamuna Future Park would be underground as a part of the airport route. MRT Line-2. MRT-2 will connect Gabtoli with Chattogram Road  via Basila, Jhigatala, Science Lab, Azimpur, Shaheed Minar, Golap Shah Mazar, Motijheel, Mugda and Demra.This line will have a length of 24 km MRT Line-4. MRT Line-4 will connect Kamalapur Railway Station with Narayanganj with underground lines. Length of this line will be . According to a survey conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), MRT Line-4 will run parallel to an existing line which will be converted to dual gauge railway line by order of Bangladesh Railway Authority. MRT Line-4 may not be financially viable. MRT Line-5 (Northern Route). Construction of long, MRT Line-5 (Northern Route) will start from  Hemayetpur of Savar Upazila and end at Bhatara, costing US$4.85 billion. Northern route will be underground and elevated. It will have 14 stations of them 9 stations will be underground. Those underground stations will be constructed at Gabtoli, Dar-us-salam, Mirpur 1, Mirpur 10, Mirpur 14, Kachukhet, Banani, Gulshan-2 and Notun Bazar. 5 stations will be elevated. 5 elevated stations will be constructed at Hemayetpur, Baliarpur, Bilamalia, Amin Bazar and Bhatara. MRT Line-5 (Northern Route) will have depot at Hemayetpur of Savar Upazila. MRT Line-5 (Southern Route). MRT Line-5 (Southern Route) which is about long is expected to  commence within 2027. It stretches from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi. Stations for this route are: Gabtoli, Technical Circle, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Russell Square, West Panthapath, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Niketon, Aftabnagar West, Aftabnagar Center, Aftabnagar East and end at Dasherkandi with the station and depot. Interchanges to other lines are possible at Gabtoli to MRT 5 (Northern Route). MRT Line-6. Line-6 consists of 16 elevated stations each of 180m long and of electricity-powered light rail tracks. All of Line-6, save for the depot, and some of its accompanying LRT, elevated above current roads primarily above road  medians to allow traffic flow underneath, with stations also elevated. The civil work is being done by the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. and China's Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. JV and a Tokyo-based construction company is developing the depot's land. History. The deal for construction of the MRT Line-6, costing US$2.8 billion, was signed by the Government of Bangladesh with the Japan International Cooperation Agency on 20 February 2013. Construction began on 26 June 2016 with an inauguration ceremony presided over by the reigning prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The first route, originally projected to start from  Uttara, a northern suburb of Dhaka, to Sayedabad, in the south of the capital, was eventually extended north to Uttara and truncated south to Motijheel. Its launch was delayed several times. Current Progress. Initiatives have been taken to extend the line from Motijheel to Kamalapur. Topographic Survey has already been completed. Social Survey in progress. The length of this part is 1.17 km. This will enable the passengers of Kamalapur railway station to travel by metro rail. First Phase. First phase which starts from Uttara and ends at Agargaon will have nine station. First phase length will be about long . As of 2022, It is expected that first phase will be open for public on Victory day(December 16) 2022. As of February 2022, progress of the first phase is about 90.08 percent. Second Phase. Second phase will begin from Agargaon and finishes at Motijheel. It will be long. It will have seven stations. As of 2022, it is expected it will be opened for commercial in December 2023. Second phase's physical progress stands at 73.08 percent.