Indian Firm Bags Tk 65 Billion Dhaka Metro Rail Contract
India’s leading infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has secured major design and construction contracts for two key system packages under Bangladesh’s ongoing Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 1), also known as Dhaka Metro Rail Line 1.
The company announced the contract awards on Tuesday.
L&T generally classifies contracts worth more than 50 billion Indian rupees as major orders. The value of the contracts awarded to the company exceeds Tk 65 billion, equivalent to around Tk 6,500 crore.
According to Indian newspaper Business Standard, the new contracts cover key works for Bangladesh’s first underground metro rail project, including track construction, electrical systems, signalling, telecommunications and the installation of platform screen doors (PSDs).
L&T had earlier completed and handed over the integrated railway systems for Bangladesh’s first metro rail corridor, Dhaka Metro Rail Line 6, which is now in commercial operation.
Ramkumar S, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of L&T’s Transportation Infrastructure division, said the company had a strong track record of delivering critical electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems for Dhaka Metro Rail Line 6 and the Jakarta Metro project within the stipulated time and to the highest quality standards.
He said the company’s experience in seamlessly integrating multiple systems in coordination with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and partners would give it an added advantage.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Dhaka Metro Rail Line 1 is approximately 31 kilometres long. It comprises the Airport Route, from Kamalapur to the airport, and the Purbachal Route, from Notun Bazar to Purbachal Terminal. The project will have 19 stations and a depot at Pitalganj.
According to the company, the two packages will serve as the core operating systems of Dhaka Metro Rail Line 1 and help ensure modern and reliable urban transport services in Dhaka.
Under the contracts, L&T will work jointly with its Japanese partner, Sumitomo Corporation, to design, procure, install, test and commission track systems, power supply and distribution systems, traction substations, overhead catenary systems and associated electrical systems across the entire corridor.
