L&T wins contracts to equip Dhaka's first underground metro

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

India's Larsen & Toubro has won the contracts to wire up Bangladesh's first underground metro. The L&T-Sumitomo consortium will install tracks and electrical systems; L&T alone will handle signalling, telecommunications, and platform screen doors across the 31 km Dhaka Metro Line 1.

The packages are repeat orders. L&T already delivered the operating systems for Dhaka Metro Line 6, the country's first metro line now in commercial service. Line 1's Airport Route runs from Kamalapur to the airport; its Purbachal Route connects Natun Bazar with Purbachal Terminal. Both lines are expected to finish construction by 2033.

Why it matters

Bangladesh's first underground metro is now fully contracted — and L&T's repeat win decides which contractor turns the tunnels into a working railway by 2033.

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Key Indicators

31 km

Planned Line 1 length

Earlier design split it into 19.87 km underground and 11.36 km elevated.

Design-build packages L&T won

CP09 covers track and electrical with Sumitomo; CP10 covers signalling, telecom, and platform doors.

Planned metro stations

One current project description lists 21; the earlier design and the systems contracts list 19.

117.6%

Cost increase vs. original estimate

Line 1 cost rose from Tk 52,561 crore to about Tk 114,000 crore.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Ramkumar S

Senior vice-president and head, L&T Transportation Infrastructure

Led the unit that won the Dhaka Line 1 systems packages

Abul Kashem Bhuiyan

Project Director, DMTCL, Metro Line 1

In charge of delivering Line 1

Organizations Involved

Larsen & Toubro Limited

Infrastructure and engineering conglomerate

Systems contractor for Dhaka Metro Lines 6 and 1

India's largest engineering and construction group; its Transportation Infrastructure unit builds and equips urban rail systems.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL)

State-owned metro operator

Project owner for Dhaka Metro Lines 1, 5, and 6

Owns and operates Dhaka's metro network, now building Lines 1 and 5 with JICA financing.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Japanese government development agency

Funder of Dhaka's metro program

Provides concessional loans and technical support for Dhaka Metro Lines 1 and 5.

Sumitomo Corporation

Japanese trading and infrastructure company

L&T's partner on the Line 1 CP09 package

One of Japan's largest trading houses; teamed with L&T to install track and electrical systems on Line 1.

Timeline

October 2019 October 2026

9 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
L&T wins Line 1 systems packages
Today Contract

L&T-Sumitomo takes CP09; L&T alone takes CP10 for signalling, telecom, and platform doors.
Today
Four elevated structure contracts signed
Contract

DMTCL signs four depot and elevated station contracts for Lines 1 and 5.
Yesterday
Dhaka clears major metro contracts
Approval

Purchase committee approves CP02, CP04, CP06, CP07, CP09, and CP10.
October 1st, 2026
January 2025
Only one Line 1 package contracted
Status

One of 12 packages has an appointed contractor.
January 2025
December 2024
Line 1 hits 6% progress
Milestone

Depot land 87% developed; total project progress 6%.
December 2024
March 2023
Depot land development begins
Construction

Land development starts under Line 1 package 1.
March 2023
February 2023
Line 1 physical works inaugurated
Milestone

Physical construction on Line 1 formally begins.
February 2023
October 2022
Pitalganj depot land contract signed
Contract

Contract signed to develop land for the Pitalganj depot.
October 2022
October 2019
Bangladesh approves Metro Line 1
Approval

Cabinet approves Line 1 with a December 2026 completion target.
October 2019

Scenarios

Dhaka Metro Line 1 opens for passengers in 2033

Possible Resolves by End of 2033

Discussed by: DMTCL project officials and Asia Daily reporting

Civil packages CP02, CP06, and CP07 are now under contract alongside L&T's systems work. If installation, testing, and commissioning run to plan, the Airport and Purbachal routes, including Bangladesh's first underground stations, enter service by late 2033, the target DMTCL has set for both metro lines.

Delays push Dhaka's first underground line past 2033

Likely Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: Financial Express and the project's own history

Line 1 was approved in 2019 for a December 2026 opening; by end-2024 it was 6% complete and only one of 12 packages was contracted. Costs have more than doubled. A repeat of that pattern would slip the 2033 target, especially where underground tunnelling meets utility relocations and land acquisition.

L&T wins more Dhaka Metro systems packages

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: L&T's repeat-order pattern; World Construction Network and BusinessToday coverage

L&T built Line 6's systems, then won Line 1's. Bangladesh's other big build, MRT Line 5's Northern Route, still needs its own signalling and power packages. A Line 5 award would extend L&T's run as the systems contractor for Dhaka's expanding network.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 2022 - 2023

Dhaka Metro Line 6 (2022-2023)

Bangladesh's first metro line opened in stages from December 2022, running from Uttara toward Motijheel. L&T delivered its integrated railway systems package, the same role it now repeats on Line 1.

Then

The line entered commercial operation, giving Dhaka its first metro service and a model for the network.

Now

It set the precedent for L&T as systems integrator on JICA-funded Dhaka metro projects.

Why this matters now

Line 6 is the direct predecessor — the repeat order that made L&T the natural choice to wire up the underground Line 1.

October 1984

Kolkata Metro (1984)

India's first metro and South Asia's first underground line opened a 3.4 km underground section in October 1984. Construction had begun in 1972, a 12-year build that faced tunnelling challenges, funding gaps, and political delays.

Then

The first section started service after more than a decade of work; the network grew gradually over the following decades.

Now

It showed that first-time underground metro builds in South Asia routinely overrun.

Why this matters now

Dhaka's Line 1 is expected to take about 14 years from approval to opening — a similar arc of complexity for a first underground line.

March 2019

Jakarta MRT Phase 1 (2019)

Indonesia's first metro opened in March 2019 with Japan International Cooperation Agency financing. L&T is currently executing an electrical and mechanical systems package on the Jakarta system.

Then

The 15.7 km first phase began carrying passengers and became a model for JICA-funded Southeast Asian metros.

Now

It gave L&T a live reference point for underground line systems work outside India.

Why this matters now

Jakarta shows the JICA-funded metro model L&T now works under in Dhaka, and gives the contractor an active reference for Line 1.