Tk46,000cr approved for two metro rail lines

The government has approved procurement proposals worth nearly Tk46,000 crore for the construction of various infrastructure under two lines of the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project.

The Line-1 and Line-5 projects will include underground and elevated sections, stations, depots, tracks, power supply, signalling and telecommunications systems.

At a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase at the Secretariat on Thursday (October 1), chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, eight procurement proposals related to the metro rail projects were considered. Five were approved, while three were recommended for approval.

The approved proposals cover civil works under packages CP-02, CP-06, CP-09 and CP-10 of Line-1, and CP-03 of Line-5.

Four Line-1 packages

Under Line-1’s CP-02 package, various depot facilities will be constructed, including a workshop, stabling shed, operations control centre, technical management centre, auxiliary substation and traction substation.

The cost, including VAT and taxes, will be Tk4,285 crore 6 lakh 93 thousand 558.

Three pre-qualified companies submitted bids, all of which were deemed technically responsive. A joint venture of Sinohydro and SEBCL was recommended as the lowest bidder.

Under CP-06, a 5.182-kilometre underground section will be built from the northern end of Nadda Station to Airport Station. The section will include two tunnels and three underground stations — Airport, Airport Terminal 3 and Khelakkhet. A shaft will also be constructed for launching tunnel boring machines (TBMs).

The package will cost Tk11,590 crore 58 lakh 7 thousand 299, including VAT and taxes. A joint venture of Japan’s Nishimatsu, TPL and Toda was recommended as the lowest bidder. Its bid was 32.05% higher than the official estimate, excluding VAT and taxes.

CP-09 covers construction of tracks, including rails, turnouts, points and crossings, as well as power supply and distribution systems. These will include a 132kV primary feeder, receiving and auxiliary substations, a 33/0.415kV distribution network and a 1,500V overhead power supply system.

The package will cost Tk11,065 crore 57 lakh 72 thousand 150. A joint venture of India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Sumitomo was recommended as the lowest bidder. Its bid was 49.92% higher than the official estimate, excluding VAT and taxes.

Under CP-10, signalling, telecommunications, platform screen doors and asset management systems will be installed. The package will also include communications-based automatic train control, an optical fibre transmission network and LTE-based wireless communications.

The estimated cost is Tk6,446 crore 65 lakh 31 thousand 716, including VAT and taxes. Larsen & Toubro Ltd of India was recommended as the lowest bidder, with its bid 50.89% higher than the official estimate, excluding VAT and taxes.

Line-5 to get elevated section and five stations

Under Line-5’s CP-03 package, a total of 6.50 kilometres of elevated track will be constructed — about 5.6km from Hemayetpur to Aminbazar and another 0.9km from beyond Natun Bazar to Bhatara.

Five elevated stations will also be built at Hemayetpur, Baliarpur, Bilamalia, Aminbazar and Bhatara.

The package will cost Tk2,670 crore 98 lakh 97 thousand 860, including VAT and taxes. A joint venture of China’s CREC, MIL and MBEL was recommended as the lowest bidder, with its bid 0.69% higher than the official estimate.

Three more packages recommended

The committee also recommended approval of three other procurement proposals.

The CP-04 package of Line-1 covers construction of the main line and stations from the northern end of Rampura Station to Natun Bazar Station. Its base contract value is Tk18,037 crore 25 lakh 89 thousand 656. A Tokyu-MIL joint venture from Japan was recommended as the bidder.

Under CP-07, a 5.007-kilometre main line and stations will be constructed from the transition section to the beginning of the Balu River. The base contract value is Tk2,534 crore 9 lakh 43 thousand 241. A CREC-MIL-MBEC joint venture was recommended.

The CP-02 package of the Line-5 Northern Route covers civil and building works for the depot. Its base contract value is Tk1,847 crore 52 lakh 42 thousand 658. Concord Pragati Consortium and Hanil Engineering & Construction Company’s joint venture was recommended.

Projects targeted for completion by 2033

The first revised development projects for Line-1 and Line-5 were approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on September 16.

Both projects are scheduled to run from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2033.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is implementing the projects, which are jointly financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).