The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority of Bangladesh released the latest revised strategic transportation plan on June 23, 2026. This document takes Dhaka's rail transit blueprint a big step forward, with two new subway lines and five single track lines to be built within the next 20 years, while extending existing and planned lines.

The newly added MRT3 and MRT8 subway lines are based on the previous six subway lines. There is currently a subway running in Dhaka. The MRT6 subway line is the first metro line in Dhaka, running north-south from Utara North to Mortijer, with a total length of 20.2 kilometers. It will be opened in stages between 2022 and 2023. The northern section of the MRT5 line, which is mainly underground, is also being promoted. Construction will begin in September 2023, with an east-west direction of 20 kilometers, connecting Hemayetpur and Ouattara. There are also 17.3 kilometers of branch lines in the southern section.

In addition, there are three other routes under planning. The MRT1 line runs 31.2 kilometers east-west and directly serves the airport. The MRT2 line is 35 kilometers long from north to south, making it the longest one. The MMRT4 line runs east-west for 16 kilometers. With the addition of two new lines, Dhaka will have eight subway lines in the future.

The subway doesn't have enough monorails to make up for it

In addition to 8 subway lines, the new plan also proposes to build 5 monorail lines. The urban traffic pressure in Dhaka has reached a critical point in recent years. With a permanent population of over 22 million and a rapidly increasing number of motor vehicles, road construction alone cannot solve the problem. The subway has a high cost and long cycle, while the monorail is relatively flexible and has a lower cost, making it suitable as a supplement to the subway and covering areas that are temporarily inaccessible by the subway. The combination of two subway lines and five monorails is very practical.

The key is to implement the 20-year plan

The plan is beautifully drawn, but Dhaka's past infrastructure implementation rate has not been high. The MRT6 line has been delayed for more than ten years from project approval to opening, while the northern section of Line 5 has just started, and the remaining lines are still on the drawings. Funding is the biggest bottleneck. The Dhaka Metro project mainly relies on JICA loans from Japan and financial support from the Bangladeshi government, with relatively limited financing channels. Keywords: subway transportation, rail transit

This one-time plan includes 8 subway lines and 5 monorails, with a considerable amount of funds for the next 20 years. Whether it can be implemented on schedule depends on whether financing can keep up and land acquisition can be promoted. Dhaka needs not only planning, but execution.Editor/Cheng Liting