The Bangladesh government has inked three deals with construction firms from China and Thailand to build the country’s first-ever metro rail project and help alleviate the chronic traffic congestion in Dhaka by 2020. The deals were signed in a ceremony at Hotel Sonargaon on Wednesday presided over by Road Transport and Bridges minister, Obaidul Quader. Under the deals, the firms will build metro rail tracks, stations, viaducts, and a depot for the much anticipated 20.1km Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line that will connect north Dhaka to the south through 16 stations. Metro Rail Project Director Mofazzel Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that they had already started building stabling yards, maintenance houses and parking lots under CP1. Once implemented, the MRT system will run from Uttara to Motijheel and carry some 60,000 passengers per hour.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 03, 2017 18:45 UTC