BANGLADESH: Construction of the second metro line in Dhaka, designated as Line 1, was ceremonially launched by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on February 2.
The city’s first metro line, Line 6, opened in December.
The 31·2 km Line 1 will have two branches and will include the first underground section of route through the city, as Line 6 is entirely elevated. The 19·9 km underground section will link Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the north with Kamalapur in the south, serving 12 stations.
An 11·4 km branch will link Purbachal in the eastern suburbs with Natun Bazar. This will feature an elevated alignment with seven stations between Purbachal and Joar Sahara, where it will meet the airport line at an underground junction.
Line 6 is currently being extended from Agargaon to Kamalapur, which will become an interchange between the two routes. A depot for Line 1 is to be built at Pitalganj.
Journey time from the airport to Kamalapur is expected to be 24 min, while a journey from Purbachal to Natun Bazar would take 21 min.
The 52·56bn taka cost of Line 1 is being met jointly by Japan International Co-operation Agency and the Bangladesh government; JICA is providing 39·45bn taka and the government the remainder. The line is expected to be completed in 2026.
Line 1 forms part of the 20-year Strategic Transport Plan outlined by the Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Authority, which is planning a network of six lines and more than 100 stations by 2030.
