MRT Line 6 (Dhaka Metro)

Jamilur Reza Choudhury and E. Sreedharan, two experts who shaped the project

In 2005, the World Bank published a study report, recommending that the government of Bangladesh build a mass transit system in Dhaka. In the same year, American consultancy firm Louis Berger Group prepared a strategic transport plan for Dhaka.[3] Although the World Bank helped to develop this plan, the draft plan didn't include a mass rapid transit system. It was Jamilur Reza Choudhury, chairman of the Review Committee of the Strategic Transport Plan, who suggested a mass rapid transit system be built in the city.[4] The final plan proposed the construction of three MRT lines in Dhaka.[lower-alpha 1] Three years later, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) joined the metro rail project. In the Urban Traffic Formulation Study, JICA considered MRT Line 6 the most profitable and important of the proposed lines. A feasibility study was conducted for the construction of this line in the financial year 2010–2011. In 2013, JICA hired a consultant and financed the construction of MRT Line 6.[6] A draft route was mapped in 2011. According to this map, the line was supposed to be from Uttara to Sayedabad.[4] The proposed station at Bijoy Sarani was to be built in front of the Bangabandhu Military Museum, but due to the objection of the Bangladesh Air Force in 2011,[7] it was planned to be built near the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.[8] The draft route included the Mayor Mohammed Hanif Flyover. However, at the request of the Dhaka Traffic Coordination Board, its route was diverted from the flyover. The draft route was supposed to pass the line through Mirpur Cantonment. But the Bangladesh Army objected as it wanted to make the area a residential area, so the line was moved eastward. Even though the line was planned to pass by Tejgaon Airport, later Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered to change the decision considering national security.[7] Jamilur Reza Choudhury requested prime minister Sheikh Hasina change the route.[4] Later, the route map was modified slightly to finalize the current route map. JICA wanted to build three metro stations at Uttara above ground, and the remaining stations underground, but E. Sreedharan, an Indian mass transit expert, recommended building an entirely elevated line, as he believed an underground metro line would be to expensive to build and operate. This resulted in the current route, which is entirely on elevated track. On 28 December 2014, the conceptual design of Line 6 was created.[3] After determining the route of the line by the side of Shaheed Minar, it was planned to change the route in the face of objection and take it in front of Teacher-Student Centre, University of Dhaka. In protest of this, the students of Dhaka University conducted various programs on 7 January, 2016.[9] On the other hand, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader ruled out the possibility of moving the metro route from Dhaka University as the construction work would start in two months. He informed that there will be no problem in the activities of the university as sound insulation technology will be used on the metro rail line.[10] Meetings were held with students to resolve the dispute. After discussing the benefits of a metro station in the Dhaka University area, they withdrew their opposition. The authority of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) objected to the decision of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) to take the proposed route through BSMMU. They were later convinced by DTCA because a station near BSMMU could benefit the patients.[7]

Construction of MRT Line 6

The construction project was inaugurated on 26 June 2016.[11] But in the next month, the July 2016 Dhaka attack took place during the call for tenders for the construction of the line. The terrorist attack led to some companies withdrawing from the tender process due to security concerns. Seven Japanese officials associated with the project died in the attack. Six months later,[12] with the assurance of the government, the contractors started the construction work.[8] A detailed design of the line was prepared in August 2016.[3] In September 2016, works related to the construction of the line's depot at Diabari were started.[13] On 2 August 2017, the first phase of construction of the MRT Line 6 was officially inaugurated.[14] DMTCL hired seven contracting firms to work in joint ventures to execute the construction works. One of those seven contracting firms was Abdul Monem Limited, which was the sole Bangladeshi contractor for the construction project.[13] Also the contractor for an significant part of the construction work was Italian-Thai Development.[15] As of December 2017, 13.16% of the initial budget was spent on the construction of the project. By 2018, utility transfer was completed for the project from Uttara to Agargaon in the route area.[16] In February 2019, work began on the viaduct and stations on the Agargaon to Karwan Bazar section of the under-construction line. Till then the overall average progress of the project was 21.50% and the progress of the first phase was 35%.[17] In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, foreigners involved in the project stopped working and left the country.[18] The lockdown imposed by the government during the pandemic halted construction for several months. However, when the government allowed work in accordance with the rules to prevent infection, construction work was resumed.[6] In 2021, JICA urged the government to take necessary measures to prevent the spread of infection among the officials and employees involved in the project. The government set up two makeshift hospitals, isolation centers and makeshift dormitories to prevent transmission.[18] During the pandemic, 668 people involved in construction contracted COVID-19.[19] As of February 2021, the construction progress of the Karwan Bazar to Motijheel section of the first phase was 56%.[20] In August 2022, the construction progress of MRT Line 6 was 67%.[21] Installation of all viaducts on the line was completed on 27 January 2022.[22] As of November 2022, the construction progress was 84.22%, while the progress of the first phase from Uttara to Agargaon was at 95%.[23] As of 8 February 2023, after 41 days of the opening of the first phase, at least 92% of the second phase of the line was complete.[24]

The inauguration plaque in Diabari

Initially, the deadline for construction of the line was in 2014. Since it is not possible to start the construction work before that time, Sheikh Hasina has instructed to complete the first phase by 2019 and the second phase by 2020.[25] On 29 August 2021, the trial run of the trains on the line under construction began.[26] It traveled from Diabari Depot to Mirpur 12 that day. The line's train made its longest trial run on 12 December 2021. It traveled from Uttara to Agargaon. The train ran for 11.3 km (7.0 mi). It ran at 100 km/h for 9 km (5.6 mi) and ran at 15–20 km (9.3–12.4 mi) for the rest.[27] Since the work was not completed, the opening date of the first phase was changed to 16 December of the next year.[28] From 1 September 2022, the authority started the integrated trial run of the line from Uttara to Agargaon.[29] DMTCL later proposed to open the first phase portion of the line in the last week of December 2022. On the basis of the proposal, the inauguration date was fixed in 28 December.[30] On 28 December 2022, the section between Uttara and Agargaon was inaugurated by prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The following day, public operations started with trains running non-stop between the two terminals.[31][32] More stations were gradually introduced into service between January and March. Since 31 March 2023, all nine stations from Uttara to Agargaon on the line are in use.[33][34][35] On 18 May 2023, DMTCL announced a trial run from Agargaon to Motijheel in July of the same year.[36] The second phase of MRT Line 6 is expected to open in November 2023.[37]

The extension of MRT Line 6 from Motijheel to Kamalapur railway station was planned by the government in 2019.[38] However, Kajima, the Japanese construction firm responsible for the construction of a multimodal transport hub in Kamalapur, stated that it would withdraw from this project if the government planned to extend the metro line.[lower-alpha 2] As a result, DMTCL proposed three options to Kajima for extending the line. The first proposal is to build a station on Line 6 above Kamalapur metro station on Line 1 which is underground. The second option was to build the metro station outside the railway station area. According to the third proposal, they will apply for land from the ministry of Railways for constructing the station.[39]

Extending the line up to Kamalapur would increase the length of the line to about 21 km. The extension pushes the completion date for the line to December 2025.[40] The extension work started in January 2023.[41]

ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, the secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, confirmed in April 2023 that the construction of the extension from Uttara North to Tongi would start after the completion of the extension from Motijheel to Kamalapur.[42] In the first week of May, the managing director of DMTCL announced a plan to build another part of the line in the north-west through Ashulia and Baipayl to Nabinagar in Savar Upazila.[43]

Exterior and interior of Uttara North metro station

Stations of the line have a ground level and additional two levels. Access to the first level is via stairs or elevators from the ground. There is a system of one time ticketing from the first level. From the first level through the automatic fare collection zone one has to take an escalator or elevator to reach the second level where the train platforms are located.[52]

To meet the cost of the line, DMTCL has planned to build a transit oriented development (TOD) hub centered around the Uttara Center metro station. For this purpose, the authority has decided to purchase 29 acres of Uttara Model Town (3rd Phase) from Capital Development Authority at a cost of ৳866 crore. In future, TOD hubs will be built around all the stations belonging to the line.[53] Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation provides bus services to Uttara North and Agargaon metro station for the convenience of passengers to reach the station. Buses ply from Uttara North to House Building and Agargaon to Motijheel.[54] Smart delivery lockers are being installed at all stations as per the agreement of Aspire to Innovate with DMTCL.[55]

On the opening day, it was used by 3857 passengers.[49] There were 90 thousand passengers in 10 days of activity.[48] In January, 3,35,000 passengers used its service.[50] From January to March, its total ridership was 1.077 million.[51]

On 1 January 2023, metro service was suspended for two hours in the morning after New Year's Eve because a string of sky lanterns fell onto the line's overhead wire.[64] After two hours its operation was resumed.[65] DMTCL lost a revenue of ৳3,15,370 due to stoppage of trains for two hours during that time.[66] Also, on the first day of operation, the ticket vending machines at the station became unusable, causing passengers to have problems getting tickets.[67] The authority attributed the problem to the failure of the vending machine because the machines did not have enough money to dispense high-value banknotes.[68] After two days the authority succeeded in solving the problem.[69] On February 19 this year, the down line of the MRT Line 6 was temporarily suspended due to a kite getting stuck.[70]

On 30 April 2023, a rock was thrown at a window of a train bound for Uttara North metro station around Kazipara metro station. Although no one was injured or the window was broken, the window glass was cracked. After the incident, the DMTCL filed a complaint against the unidentified miscreants at the nearby Kafrul Thana.[71] Later, a case was registered against the unidentified persons under the Metrorail Act, 2015 and the police started an investigation to identify them.[72] In the case document, DMTCL stated that the vandalism caused a loss of ৳10 lakh to the company.[73] Police investigation identified 7-8 possible buildings from which the rock could have been hurled. On the other hand, from the video footage, the Metro authority identified the building from where the stone was actually hurled. On 6 May, the managing director of DMTCL said that most of the people in the building had fled their apartments. But he also said that they will be captured.[74]