The Dhaka Metro Rail () is a
mass rapid transit system serving
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
(currently from Uttara North to Motijheel), the capital and largest city of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. It is operated by the
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, commonly known as DMTCL, is a government-owned company responsible for operating Dhaka Metro Rail, a mass rapid transit system in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and adjoining areas. The company was established ...
(DMTCL).
Together with the under construction
Dhaka BRT
The Dhaka BRT () or Dhaka Line () is a bus rapid transit system under construction in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The original plan for the network included two lines: BRT Line-3 and BRT Line-7. Currently, only the northern section of BRT Line-3 is un ...
, proposed
Dhaka Subway
Dhaka Subway is an underground urban rail network being planned in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority. Dhaka Subway was conceived as a separate transport system to the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit network, com ...
and
Dhaka suburban circular rail, it is expected to reduce
traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...
in the city. The metro rail network's only operational line is the
MRT Line 6; additionally,
MRT Line 1 and
MRT Line 5
The MRT Line 5 (, ''Romanisation of Bengali, romanised: Em-Ar-Ti Lain Pachh'') is an approved mass rapid transit line of Dhaka Metro Rail. It will be the third line of the Dhaka Metro Rail system. This line comprises Northern Route, MRT Line 5 (D ...
are under construction, and
MRT Line 2 and
MRT Line 4 are in the planning stages. It is part of the Strategic Transport Plan outlined by the
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).
It has been later reported however that the government may cancel the southern part of MRT Line 5.
The first section of MRT Line 6 commenced commercial operations on 29 December 2022 and the second section on 5 November 2023. The other lines are either in planning or under construction.
The third phase, which will have an
interchange
Interchange may refer to:
Transport
* Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways
* Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies
* Interchange station, a rai ...
with
Line 1,
Line 2 and
Line 4, is set to be completed by 2026.
Further expansion of
MRT Line 6 is expected towards
Savar Upazila
Savar () is an upazila of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh and is located at a distance of about 24 kilometers (15 mi) to the northwest of Dhaka city. Savar is mostly famous for the National Martyrs' Memori ...
and
Tongi
Tongi () is a major township in Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a BSCIC industrial area, which produces BDT 1500 crore of industrial products annually, and marks the northern border of D ...
. Passengers will get a 10% discount on the fare for using the
MRT Pass or
Rapid Pass.
MRT line 6 currently operates daily from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm and on Fridays from 3:30 pm to 9:00 pm (7:10 am to 9:40 pm for MRT Pass/Rapid Pass holders).
History
To implement Dhaka's 20-year-long Strategic Transport Plan, the
government of Bangladesh
The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...
invited the
Japan International Cooperation Agency
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (), also known as JICA'','' is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social gr ...
to conduct a primary survey and feasibility study on the transport system of Dhaka in 2009–2010. In 2012, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the project. A loan agreement between the Bangladeshi government and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency was signed in January 2013.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, the agency responsible for the implementation of the first metro line, was formed in January 2013. The General Consultant, namely the NKDM Association, commenced work beginning in February 2014. In June 2013,
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, commonly known as DMTCL, is a government-owned company responsible for operating Dhaka Metro Rail, a mass rapid transit system in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and adjoining areas. The company was established ...
was established by the government to implement the Metro Rail Lines across the city. Dhaka metro rail was opened by Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...
on 29 December 2022.
History of MRT Line-6
Construction

The deal for the construction of the MRT Line-6, costing US$2.8 billion, was signed by the
government of Bangladesh
The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...
with the
Japan International Cooperation Agency
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (), also known as JICA'','' is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social gr ...
on 20 February 2013. Construction began on 26 June 2016 with an inauguration ceremony presided over by the prime minister
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...
.
Civil engineering work was done by the
Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. and China's Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. JV, and a Tokyo-based construction company developed the depot's land.
Construction work was divided into eight packages, covering aspects like depots, stations and rolling stock.
Planning
When construction commenced in 2016, the Metro Rail was expected to open by the end of 2019. By 2018, this expectation was still held to, but by 2019, completion of phase one was delayed to December 2021.
In 2018, the second phase was expected to be complete by December 2020.
Eventually, these dates were pushed back, with phase one opening in 2022 and phase two expected in 2023. The main reason for the delays from 2020 to 2022 was the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cost and length changes
Originally, the project cost was Tk 219,850 million but it was later increased by Tk 114,870 million to Tk 334,720 million, although the full Project is not yet completed. The first route, originally projected to start from
Uttara
Uttara, which means "north" in Sanskrit and many other South Asian languages, may refer to:
Places
*Uttara (town), Uttara, a neighbourhood north of Dhaka, Bangladesh
*Uttara Export Processing Zone, Bangladesh
*Uttara East Thana
*Uttara West Thana ...
, a northern area of Dhaka, to Sayedabad, in the south of the capital, was eventually extended north to Uttara and truncated south to Motijheel.
The original length which was has been increased by to . It was planned to have 16 stations originally but it has been increased to 17 stations.
Misconceptions
The project was originally reported to be a underground metro rail line. It was later confirmed to be an elevated and underground metro rail project.
In 2014, it was reported that 56 trains would run on the metro system.
It was confirmed that 24 vehicles would run on the MRT Line 6.
It was planned to have six lines.
Trial runs
MRT Line-6's train made its first run on 29 August 2021. It traveled from Diabari Depot to Mirpur 12. It successfully made its second run on 29 November 2021. It traveled from Uttara to Mirpur 10. The line's train made its longest trial run on 12 December 2021. It traveled from Uttara to Agargaon. The train ran for after invigoration has been run 4 stations along with mirpur to Agargaon station after several months other stations are open. It ran at for and ran at for the rest.
Architecture
Line 6 consists of 16 operational elevated stations of length each, and of electricity-powered light rail tracks. All of line 6, save for the depot and some of its accompanying LRT, will be elevated above current roads. Mostly, this will be above road medians to allow traffic flow underneath, with stations also elevated. The Dhaka Metro is projected to serve more than 60,000 passengers per hour by 2022 with headways of approximately 4 minutes.
The entire route can be travelled in less than 40 minutes at a speed of , and is expected to drastically reduce the number of private cars on Dhaka's streets as well as their potentially 7-hour-long standstills.
The system is using magnetic contactless Integrated Circuit Ticketing, commonly known as smart cards.
Platform screen door (PSD) barriers used at the platform level will increase safety and increase efficiency.
Trains of six spacious air-conditioned cars will arrive every four minutes going each way at each of the 16 stations.
The project is being managed by the Communications Ministry's Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Authority, and a consortium of foreign and Bangladeshi firms known as the NKDM Association is acting as the project's general consultant. The NKDM Association consists of Nippon Koei Japan and Development Design Consultants (local consultant - Bangladesh).
Infrastructure
Rolling stock
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
-based
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Minato, To ...
made the rolling stock for Dhaka Metro with the latest technology and necessary security equipment. The body of the air-conditioned trains are made of light and durable stainless-steel.
Network
Operational
Under construction/planned
Official time table for Dhaka metro rail
ㅤ
MRT lines
MRT Line 1
Airport Route
The construction of the long underground line, MRT Line 1 (Airport Route), is set to begin in December 2022, costing US$6.1 billion after many delays. Its deadline is set for 2026. It will start from
Shahjalal International Airport
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka (; ) is the main international airport serving Dhaka City, the capital city of Bangladesh, and it is the largest airport in the country. It is located in Kurmitola, from the city centre, in the ...
and stop at
Kamalapur Railway Station. The line will have 12 underground stations. Stations will be constructed at
Shahjalal International Airport
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Dhaka (; ) is the main international airport serving Dhaka City, the capital city of Bangladesh, and it is the largest airport in the country. It is located in Kurmitola, from the city centre, in the ...
,
Shahjalal International Airport Terminal 3, Khilkhet, Nadda, Notun Bazar, North Badda, Badda, Aftabnagar, Rampura, Malibagh, Rajarbagh and Kamalapur Railway Station. MRT Line 1 will have an interchange with MRT Line 6, MRT Line 2 and MRT Line 4 at Kamalapur Railway Station. There will be an interchange for the MRT Line 5 Northern Route and the MRT Line 1's Purbachal route at the Notun Bazar. Hatirjheel East of MRT Line 1 and Aftab Nagar West Station of MRT Line 5: Southern Route will have an Interchange. Above all, the airport will have an interchange of MRT Line-1 with BRT Line 3.
The government will provide US$1.5 billion while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will fund US$4.6 billion.
The use of soundless TBMs will make it possible to build MRT Lind1's underground infrastructure without disrupting the daily lives of residents and businesses.
Purbachal Route
MRT Line 1 (Purbachal Route) will be long and it will have stations at Notun Bazar, Nadda, Bashundhara, Joar Sahara, Mostul, Purbachal Cricket Stadium, Purbachal Centre, Purbachal East and Purbachal Terminal. Of these stations, Notun Bazar and Nadda would be underground as a part of the airport route.
MRT Line 2
MRT Line 2 will connect Gabtali with Chittagong Road. The stations on this route are Gabtoli, Dhaka Uddan, Mohammadpur, Jhigatola, Science Laboratory, New Market, Azimpur, Palashi, DHK Medical College, Gulistan, Motijheel, Kamalapur, Manda, Dakkhingaon, Damripara, Signboard, Vuighar, Jalkuri and Downtown Narayanganj in the Main Line and Gulistan, Golap Shah Mazar, Nayabazar and Sadarghat in the Branch Line. The length of this line will be .
MRT Line 4
MRT Line 4 will connect Kamalapur Railway Station with
Narayanganj
Narayanganj () is a city in central Bangladesh in the Greater Dhaka area. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka. With a population of almost 1 million, it is the 6th largest city in Bangladesh. It is als ...
with elevated and underground lines (planned).
Length of this line will be . According to a survey conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), MRT Line-4 will run parallel to an existing line which will be converted to a dual gauge railway line by the order of the Bangladesh Railway Authority. The stations in this line are
Kamalapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Shonir Akhra, Signboard, CTG Road, Kanchpur and Madanpur.
MRT Line 5
Northern Route
Construction of
MRT Line 5
The MRT Line 5 (, ''Romanisation of Bengali, romanised: Em-Ar-Ti Lain Pachh'') is an approved mass rapid transit line of Dhaka Metro Rail. It will be the third line of the Dhaka Metro Rail system. This line comprises Northern Route, MRT Line 5 (D ...
(Northern Route) will begin in September 2023.
MRT Line-5 (Northern Route) will start from Hemayetpur of
Savar Upazila
Savar () is an upazila of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh and is located at a distance of about 24 kilometers (15 mi) to the northwest of Dhaka city. Savar is mostly famous for the National Martyrs' Memori ...
and end at
Vatara (at
Bashundhara), costing US$4.85 billion.
It expected to be long in total.
Northern route will be underground and elevated. It will have 14 stations, of which 9 stations will be underground. Those underground stations will be constructed at Gabtoli,
Darus Salam, Mirpur 1, Mirpur 10, Mirpur 14, Kachukhet, Banani, Gulshan 2 and Notun Bazar. 5 stations will be elevated. 5 elevated stations will be constructed at Hemayetpur, Baliarpur, Bilamalia, Amin Bazar and Vatara (at
Bashundhara R/A). MRT Line 5 (Northern Route) will have depot at Hemayetpur of
Savar Upazila
Savar () is an upazila of Dhaka District in the division of Dhaka Division, Dhaka, Bangladesh and is located at a distance of about 24 kilometers (15 mi) to the northwest of Dhaka city. Savar is mostly famous for the National Martyrs' Memori ...
.
Southern Route
The
MRT Line 5
The MRT Line 5 (, ''Romanisation of Bengali, romanised: Em-Ar-Ti Lain Pachh'') is an approved mass rapid transit line of Dhaka Metro Rail. It will be the third line of the Dhaka Metro Rail system. This line comprises Northern Route, MRT Line 5 (D ...
(Southern Route), which is about long, is expected to be operational between 2027 and 2030. It will connect Gabtoli with Dasherkandi. The stations on this route are Gabtoli, Technical, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Russel Square,
Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Aftabnagar Centre, Aftabnagar East, Nasirabad and lastly Dasherkandi. It is possible to interchange with MRT line 5 (Northern Route) and MRT line 2 at Gabtoli, and with MRT Line 6 at
Karwan Bazar.
MRT Line 6
MRT Line 6 has 17 elevated stations each 180 meters long and of electric light rail track. All Line-6 and some attending light rail track, except the depot, have been elevated above the existing roads to allow traffic flow below.
This line consists of five phases, of which only the first and second are currently operational.
* Opened on 29 December 2022, from
Uttara North to
Agargaon with a length of 11.73 kilometres (7.29 mi).
* Opened on 5 November 2023, from
Agargaon to
Motijheel
Motijheel () is a central business district and a thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Dhaka's primary central business district, and also the nation's largest commercial and financial hub. Motijheel, located immediately adjacent to Dhaka's zero ...
, which has a length of 8.37 kilometres (5.20 mi).
* Slated for completion in December 2025, from
Motijheel
Motijheel () is a central business district and a thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is Dhaka's primary central business district, and also the nation's largest commercial and financial hub. Motijheel, located immediately adjacent to Dhaka's zero ...
to
Kamalapur, which will be 1.16 kilometres long (0.72 mi)
* With construction expected to start after Phase 3, from
Uttara North to Tongi, with a length of 4.61 kilometres (2.86 mi)
* Further extension in the north-west through Ashulia and Baipayl to Nabinagar is planned.
Fare issues
DMTCL constituted a Fare Fixing Committee to fix the fare of the MRT Line 6, in a meeting held on 10 January 2021, the committee fixed per kilometer as the proposed fare. The proposed rent was determined based on the break-even point. According to the proposal, the fare from Uttara North to Motijheel was supposed to be . On 6 September 2022, Obaidul Quader announced a fare of per kilometer and a minimum fare of . This finalized minimum fare is higher than
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
and
Delhi Metro
The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...
in India and
Lahore Metro
Lahore Metro is an automated rapid transit system in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan and the first driverless metro in Pakistan. Four metro lines have been proposed, of which the Orange Line is operational. It is also Pakistan's first metro line syste ...
in Pakistan.
On 17 December 2022, the Secretary General of Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association demanded to reduce the fare per kilometer and the minimum fare by half considering the interests of the passengers. On the other hand, on 26 December 2022, the Institute for Planning and Development demanded a 30% reduction in fares to encourage passengers to use the line. In a press conference held the next day, the managing director of DMTCL mentioned electricity price and profit as the reason for fixing higher fare rate.
In a meeting of the Standing Committee of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (), popularly abbreviated as BNP (), is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 September 1978 by President of Bangladesh, President Ziaur Rahman, wit ...
(BNP) held on the same day,
Nazrul Islam Khan claimed that the fixed fare conflicted with the Metrorail Act, 2015. In the meeting, he criticized the government's decision stating that metro fares are higher than bus fares in the country. On 29 December 2022, Obaidul Quader stated that fares are not an issue here and that Dhaka's fixed fares are low when compared to mass rapid transit systems in Thailand and Malaysia. On 24 August 2023,
Muhammad Abdul Mannan, the planning minister, said that the government is making efforts to reduce the ticket fares so that it is possible for common people to travel by mass rapid transit.
See also
*
MRT Pass
*
Rapid Pass
*
List of megaprojects in Bangladesh
This is a list of megaprojects of Bangladesh, i.e. projects characterized by large investment commitment, vast complexity (especially in organizational terms), and long-lasting impact on the economy, the Biophysical environment, environment, and s ...
*
Dhaka Subway
Dhaka Subway is an underground urban rail network being planned in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority. Dhaka Subway was conceived as a separate transport system to the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit network, com ...
*
Dhaka Circular Railway
The Dhaka Circular Railway () is a proposed orbital suburban rail system in Bangladesh which is expected to serve Dhaka and Greater Dhaka once completed, and reduce traffic marginally in the city. The project is being considered for investment b ...
*
Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (Dhaka Line)
*
Bangladesh Railway
Bangladesh Railway () is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains all railways in the country, and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Railway. The Bangladesh Railway is governed by the Mi ...
*
DHK-CTG Bullet Train
*
History of Dhaka
Dhaka (Dacca) is a modern megacity with origins dating from 500 BC to 200 BC. The history of Dhaka region begins with the existence of urbanised settlements that were ruled by Gupta Empire, Gauda Kingdom, Pala Empire and Chandra dynasty before ...
Notes
References
External links
Dhaka Metro Rail (DMTCL) Official Page Dhaka Metro Rail Ticket Price ChartAerial Video of MRT Line 6 from Agargaon to Uttara DepotResources (fare, timetable) on Dhaka Metro Rail
{{Rapid transit in Asia
Public transport in Bangladesh
Rail transport in Bangladesh
Rail transport in Dhaka
2022 in rail transport
2022 establishments in Bangladesh
Standard-gauge railways in Bangladesh
Rapid transit in Bangladesh
Electric railways in Bangladesh