Authorities of Dhaka's maiden metro rail project yesterday signed three contracts with two companies for the civil construction work at the Uttara depot and building elevated rail viaducts from north Uttara to Agargaon.    

With these, four contracts have been inked for as many packages of work, out of a total eight.

According to one of the contracts signed yesterday, a joint venture of Italian-Thai Development Public Company and Sinohydro Corporation is going to do the Tk 1,595 crore civil constructions at the metro rail depot, said Project Director Mofazzel Hossain.

With a deadline of June 2024, they would build a stabling yard for 40 train sets, a workshop, head office of the metro rail company (Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd), training centre, and operations and control centre.  

The contractor would get three or four months to mobilise equipment before formally starting work. The work period would be calculated from the formal start of work, he said.   

The metro authorities signed the other two contracts (package-3 and -4) with Ital-Thai. The contracts worth Tk 4,230 crore were for the construction of 10km-long elevated viaducts and nine stations between north Uttara to Agargaon.

Both Ital-Thai and Sinohydro had received flak for their poor performance in Dhaka Elevated Expressway, Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane project and river training work for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.

“Ital-Thai and Sinohydro proved competent in the case of metro rail project as per rules,” said Mofazzel, adding, “Other projects are not comparable with metro rail.”