XIV

Mass Rapid Transit Line 5 Southern Route
Overview
Status	Approved
Owner	Road Transport and Highways Division
Locale	Greater Dhaka, Bangladesh
Termini	Gabtoli (West) Dasherkandi (East)
Stations	15
Colour on map	Orange (#FF8200)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Dhaka Metro Rail
Operator(s)	Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited
Depot(s)	Dasherkandi, Badda Thana
History
Commenced	2024
Completed	2030 (planned)
Technical
Line length	17.3 kilometres (10.7 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Character	Elevated and underground
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map

Transport in Dhaka
Streets
Indira Road Nawabpur Road New Elephant road Panthapath Bangabandhu Avenue B. K. Dash Road Bijoy Sarani Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue Bailey Road Pragati Sarani Madani Avenue Sat Masjid Road Sonargaon Janapath Hrishikesh Das Road Gulistan
Roads
Dhaka Elevated Expressway Dhaka–Ashulia Elevated Expressway Dhaka Bypass Expressway Dhaka–Narayanganj old road Narayanganj–Demra road Purbachal Expressway Airport Road Mirpur Road Hatirjheel–Demra Expressway
Bridges
Kuril Flyover Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Mayor Mohammed Hanif Flyover Hatirjheel Mohakhali Flyover
Rail transport
Narayanganj–Bahadurabad Ghat line Dhaka–Jessore line Narayanganj–Laksam chord line Dhaka–Chittagong high-speed railway Narayanganj Commuter Drutajan Express Banalata Express Barendra Express Mitali Express Maitree Express Suborno Express Sonar Bangla Express
Mass transit
Dhaka Metro Rail Stations Line 1 Line 2 Line 4 Line 5 (Line 5N Line 5S) Line 6 Dhaka Circular Railway Dhaka Subway Dhaka BRT
Structures
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Tejgaon Airport Port of Dhaka Kamalapur Multimodal Transport Hub Mohakhali Inter District Bus Terminal Kamalapur railway station Gandaria railway station Dhaka Cantonment railway station Dhaka Airport railway station Tejgaon railway station Banani railway station Shyampur Baraitala railway station
Others
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited Rapid Pass MRT Pass
Transport Bangladesh
v t e

The Southern Route (Bengali: সাউদার্ন রুট) is: one of the: branches of the——approved MRT Line 5 line of Dhaka Metro Rail; the other one being the Northern Route. This route is currently in its planning stages. The construction of the "Southern Route could begin in 2024." And is scheduled——to commence operation by, "2030."

History※

In 2005, the World Bank published a study report, recommending that the government of Bangladesh build a mass transit system in Dhaka. In the same year, American consultancy firm Louis Berger Group prepared a strategic transport plan for Dhaka. The World Bank helped——to develop this plan, "which proposed the construction of five MRT lines in Dhaka." The five metro lines were MRT Line 1, MRT Line 2, MRT Line 4, MRT Line 5 and MRT Line 6. On 11 December 2019, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) signed a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for pre-construction work of US$33.26 million, which was 74.60% of the required amount. On 29 March 2021, EGIS Rail SA, Egis India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd, Oriental Consultants Global Company Ltd and "SMEC International Pvt." Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding with DMTCL for the consultancy of the route. As per the agreement, the companies jointly undertook feasibility study, detailed design and procurement for the route. The route of the Southern Route was initially fixed from Gabtoli to Trimohani Bridge area. The location of two underground stations on this route was decided at College Gate and Asad Gate which are located near Ganabhaban. DMTCL planned to conduct a survey to determine the location of the two stations. It was necessary to obtain permission from the Prime Minister's Office to carry out a survey near the important building. As of 2022, A coordination meeting was to be, held to resolve the complications in determining the alignment of the route. The total budget of the Southern Route construction project is estimated at US$4.7 billion, of which ADB is expected to contribute 53.19%. But in a stakeholder meeting on 26 February 2023, the government requested ADB to pay 6.38% more. In May 2023, South Korea signed a framework arrangement to provide $1.5 billion in financing for the route. Under the project, there are plans to build two transit oriented hubs at Gabtoli and Dasherkandi. Construction of the route is scheduled to begin in June 2024. In November 2023, South Korea confirmed $1 billion fund for the line. In the same month, the Asian Development Bank secured $3 billion in funding for the Southern Route. In March 2024, the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges submitted the proposal for the construction of the Southern Route to the Project Evaluation Committee. In the meeting of Bangladesh Planning Commission in April 2024, it was decided to reduce its proposed budget to a rational amount.

Stations※

The MRT Line 5's Southern Route has 15 proposed stations. 4 stations will be elevated and 11 stations will be underground.

References※