Construction budgets for two major urban transit initiatives in Dhaka—MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (North)—are set to escalate dramatically by a combined BDT 1.21 trillion (121,424 crore). The implementing agency, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), has submitted revised proposals to the Planning Commission seeking approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The revised figures represent more than double the original estimates, alongside proposed construction extensions of five to six years.
In response to the sharp cost escalation, the government appointed a seven-member independent expert committee in May to evaluate the financial projections. Headed by Professor Shamim Z. Bosunia, former faculty at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the panel submitted its findings earlier this month. The report attributed the surge to currency depreciation, domestic inflation, revised tax tariffs, and major structural redesigns at key stations. Professor Bosunia emphasised that baseline estimates drawn up five to seven years ago no longer reflect prevailing market realities. He added that direct cost comparisons with metro systems in Indian cities like Delhi or Kolkata are inaccurate because Bangladesh relies overwhelmingly on imported materials, whereas Indian projects procure steel, cement, stone, and diesel locally.
MRT Line-1, designed as the nation’s first underground railway linking Dhaka Airport to Kamalapur, faces a proposed budget increase of 129.82 percent, pushing its total cost from BDT 52,562 crore to BDT 120,794 crore. If approved, it will become the second-largest infrastructure project in Bangladesh, costing nearly four times the operational Uttara-Motijheel line. Approved in 2019 with a completion target of December 2026, DMTCL now seeks an extension until December 2035. Out of 12 work packages, only CP-1 (depot land development) is complete. The 31.24-kilometre line features two routes: a 20-kilometre underground section with 12 stations between Airport and Kamalapur, and an 11.37-kilometre elevated section with 9 stations connecting Notun Bazar to Pitolganj Depot. Under the revised framework, funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will increase by 117 percent to BDT 85,536 crore, while government financing will rise 169 percent to BDT 35,259 crore.
Similarly, costs for MRT Line-5 (North), connecting Hemayetpur to Bhatara across a 20-kilometre corridor, are projected to rise by 126 percent—from BDT 41,239 crore to BDT 93,191 crore. Construction timelines for the project, which includes a 13.5-kilometre underground segment with 9 stations and a 6.5-kilometre elevated stretch with 5 stations, have been pushed back from 2028 to December 2034. JICA’s credit contribution is set to increase to BDT 68,931 crore, alongside an increased state allocation of BDT 24,259 crore. Officials at the Physical Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission confirmed that detailed scrutiny of the revised estimates is underway before the proposals advance to ECNEC.
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