Metrorail project period extended by 3 years, Kamal cost 755 crores
Metrorail is suddenly not going to Kamalapur. The period of MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Line-6 project is being extended by 3 years. However, the cost is being reduced by about 755 crores. The Metrorail-6 project has been raised with 11 amendment proposals in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council – ECNEC meeting. This is the third amendment. The ECNEC meeting began today (December 1) morning, Monday (December 1) under the chairmanship of Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
According to the revised project proposal, an additional 3.56 hectares of land is no longer required for the entry and exit structures of Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Dhaka University and Motijheel stations of Metrorail MRT Line-6. This is saving 1,121 crores. The construction of four station plazas has been excluded from the project proposal. As a result, 165 crores are being saved. These plazas were to be constructed at Uttara North, Uttara Middle, Agargaon and Motijheel stations. In addition, there is a saving of Tk 116 crore on main line, civil and station construction, Tk 904.5 crore on electrical and mechanical (E&M) railway management system and about Tk 3 crore on rehabilitation consultancy services.
Apart from reducing the cost, DMTCL has proposed to extend the project period by another three years. There is a proposal to extend the deadline till December 2028. The project was supposed to be completed on December 31. Originally, the extension of time was required to complete the 1.16 km expansion work on the Motijheel-Kamalapur section. MRT Line-6 is the first metro rail project in the country. The 20.1 km long Uttara to Motijheel section of the project is already operational. When it was inaugurated in December 2022, it operated from Uttara to Agargaon. Later, all stations up to Motijheel were opened for passengers by the end of 2023. If approved this time, this will be the third amendment to the project. This will bring the total cost of the project to Tk 32,718 crore.
The Planning Commission also said that the cost of salaries and allowances, consultancy expenses and stationery, seals, honorarium and computers has increased. In addition, the cost of interest payment on foreign loans has increased by Tk 270 crore.
