Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited on Sunday signed a contract with a Japanese company for purchasing rolling stocks and other equipment for the metro rail project.
The contract was signed to implement the 20.1 kilometre mass rapid transit line – 6, popularly known as metro rail project’s package 8.
DMTCL managing director Md Aftabuddin Talukder and Kawasaki-Mitsubishi Consortium representative Makoto Ogawara signed the Tk 4,257 crore contract at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
Speaking as the chief guest, road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said that after the incident of attack at Holey Artisan the work of metro rail slowed down and was delayed by eight months.
Currently, the work started at full pace and there was no problem with funding, he said.
The minister also said that JICA came forward to fund the proposed MRT line – 1.
Under the package, rolling stocks (compartments), train stimulators and other equipment to operate rolling stocks and maintaining depots will be purchased and training for rolling stock engineers and employees to maintain and operate metro rail will be provided.
Officials said a total of 24 sets of trains would be run on the track while five sets of trains would be provided within December 2020 and, within 2021, 19 sets of trains would be provided, said officials.
The stainless steel trains would be operated with overhead wires while each train would provide two wheel chairs, they said.
Each train will be able to carry 1,738 passengers while the trains will be air-conditioned and passengers will have to use integrated circuit ticket.
By 2021, the metro rail system will be able to carry 22,530 passengers, by 2026 a total of 25,560 passengers and by 2051, 60,979 passengers on both sides every hour.
The entire metro rail, between Uttara and Motijheel, with 16 stations, will cost Tk 21,985 crore and Japan International Cooperation Agency will fund 75 per cent of the cost while the rest will be funded by the government of Bangladesh.
The metro rail’s Uttara third phase to Agargaon portion is scheduled to be opened by 2019 and its full length is scheduled to be opened by 2020.
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Masato Watanabe, parliamentary standing committee on road transport and bridges ministry chairman Nazmul Haque Prodhan, road transport and highways division secretary MAN Siddique, railways ministry secretary-in-charge Md Mofazzel Hossain, food ministry secretary Md Kaikobad Hossain, JICA chief representative (Bangladesh office) Takatoshi Nishikata and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority executive director Syed Ahmed.
(Source: New Age)
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