BANGLADESH: The first train for Dhaka Metro Line 6 has been shipped out of Kobe Port, manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries confirmed on March 4.
A consortium of Kawasaki and Mitsubishi Corp is supplying 24 six-car trainsets under a ¥40bn contract awarded by Dhaka Mass Transit Co Ltd in August 2017, which includes the fitting out of the line’s Motijheel depot.
The first unit is scheduled to arrive at the depot in April for testing and commissioning, after which it will be handed over to the operator.
Line 6 is the first metro to be built in Bangladesh; it is being 75% funded through an ODA Loan Agreement signed by the government and Japan International Co-operation Agency.
Construction of the 19·9 km elevated north-south route with 16 stations is well advanced, with tracklaying starting last year.
The stainless-steel bodied trains are equipped to operate from a 1·5 kV DC power supply. The vehicles are 19·8 m long and 2 950 mm wide, with a maximum height of 4 100 mm above rail. Each car is equipped with two large-capacity air-conditioning units, which Kawasaki said would ensure ‘a comfortable in-train environment in high temperature and humidity’.
Interior and exterior CCTV cameras are installed to provide on-train security and enable the driver to monitor passengers boarding and alighting through four sets of double doors per car. This is intended to facilitate driver-only operation.
The first trains are due to start running in March 2022, with all 24 expected to enter service by December of that year.
