The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on Wednesday approved three metro rail projects involving Tk 2,49,747.02 crore, including two ongoing projects whose costs have more than doubled.

The approved projects are the new MRT Line-5 Southern Route and revised proposals for MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 Northern Route.

With the revisions, the combined cost of the two ongoing projects rose to Tk 2,04,243.25 crore from their original estimate of Tk 93,799.98 crore, an increase of Tk 1,10,443.27 crore, or 117.74 per cent, according to planning ministry documents.

The ECNEC approved 12 development projects at a meeting chaired by prime minister Tareque Rahman at the Secretariat.

State minister for planning Zonayed Saki disclosed the details at a press briefing at the NEC auditorium in Dhaka after the meeting.

The meeting documents initially contained 16 proposals, while the two metro rail revisions were later added as the 17th and 18th items.

The newly approved MRT Line-5 Southern Route will connect Gabtoli and Dasherkandi through a 17.20-kilometre corridor at an estimated cost of Tk 45,503.77 crore.

The government will provide Tk 15,197.66 crore, while Tk 30,306.10 crore will come in loans from the Asian Development Bank and South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited is scheduled to implement the project between September 2026 and August 2033.

The ECNEC also approved a revision to the 31.24-kilometre MRT Line-1, which will connect the airport with Kamalapur and include an elevated branch from Natun Bazar to Purbachal.

The cost of the project has increased by Tk 61,833.46 crore, or 117.64 per cent, to Tk 1,14,394.89 crore from the original Tk 52,561.43 crore.

The government contribution has risen to Tk 30,552.26 crore, while the foreign loan component has increased to Tk 83,842.63 crore. The project, which began in September 2019, is now scheduled for completion in December 2033.

The revision attributed part of the cost escalation to delays in completing designs and tender documents during the Covid-19 pandemic and complexities related to the country’s first underground metro rail.

The cost of the 20-kilometre MRT Line-5 Northern Route, from Hemayetpur to Bhatara, has also increased by Tk 48,609.81 crore, or 117.87 per cent, to Tk 89,848.36 crore from Tk 41,238.55 crore.

The government contribution has increased to Tk 22,330.11 crore, while the foreign loan component has risen to Tk 67,518.25 crore.

The Hemayetpur-Amin Bazar section of the line will be elevated, while the Amin Bazar-Bhatara section will run underground. The project, initially targeted for full operation by 2028, is now scheduled for completion in December 2032.

DMTCL had proposed in August raising the combined cost of MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 Northern Route to Tk 2,13,985.09 crore.

Following a Project Evaluation Committee meeting on August 30, the proposed cost was reduced by Tk 9,741.84 crore through adjustments to major construction and equipment components.