Utility relocation work at four underground stations on Dhaka’s airport–Kamalapur metro rail route is set to begin this month under Contract Package-3 of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-1 project. The work will cover the underground stations at Kamalapur, Rajarbagh, Malibagh and Rampura, MRT Line-1 Project Director Mohammad Sarwar Uddin Khan said on Wednesday, October 14.
He said utility relocation under Contract Package-4 was also progressing at the Notun Bazar, Uttar Badda, Badda and Aftabnagar underground stations. Work at Uttar Badda, Badda and Aftabnagar began on January 20, 2025.
According to the project director, utility relocation has already been completed at the Airport, Terminal 3 and Khilkhet stations under Contract Package-6, and at Nadda station under Package-5.
The country’s first underground metro rail project, MRT Line-1, is being implemented through 12 contract packages. Construction began on February 2, 2023, and detailed studies, surveys, preliminary designs and detailed designs for both routes have been completed.
The Bangladesh Army’s 24 Engineer Construction Brigade is relocating scattered utility lines and services around the project’s 12 underground stations into a common utility corridor.
Coordination with the traffic division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police is continuing to maintain smooth traffic movement around construction sites. The remaining utility relocation work is planned to be completed in coordination with the relevant packages of the main project, and preparations are under way.
The 19.872-kilometre underground Airport Route will have 12 stations and connect Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with Kamalapur Railway Station.
The project also includes an 11.369-kilometre Purbachal Route, which will have seven elevated stations and two underground stations, connecting Notun Bazar with Purbachal.
Although the project authorities initially set March 2027 as the target for completing the utility relocation work, a relevant official indicated that some activities could continue until October or November next year.
The MRT Line-1 project is expected to improve public transport capacity in the capital, ease traffic congestion and contribute to a better urban environment.
The process of transferring land owned by Bangladesh Railway, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, the Roads and Highways Department, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Public Works Department and the Ministry of Education to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is also under way for the project and related infrastructure.
On September 16, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved revised budgets for MRT Line-1 and the 20-kilometre MRT Line-5 (Northern Route). The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing both projects.
Under Contract Package-1, land development for a depot on 35.90 hectares (88.71 acres) in the Pitalganj area of Rupganj upazila, Narayanganj, was completed on August 31, 2025. The work began on March 1, 2023.
