Government Likely to Fund MRT-6 Repair Work

Bangla Press Desk: The government is likely to bear the entire cost of repairing and replacing the damaged and faulty components of Bangladesh's first metro rail line, just 43 months after the start of its operation, in the absence of provisions for replacement or spare parts in the contracts.

Sources say though many faults and damage are linked to the contractors who worked to develop the 20.1km Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT-6), they will not be liable due to the end of the defect liability period.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has already started repairing and replacing several damaged components, including nearly 30 bearing pads, following a High Court directive to immediately resolve the problems based on the findings of a national-level independent audit committee that inspected the MRT-6 corridor.

DMTCL sought the expert committee's support to identify safety and other risks in MRT-6 after two "very unusual accidents" involving bearing pads falling from two nearby piers close to Farmgate station within the span of just over a year.

In one of the incidents, a heavy steel bearing pad fell on a pedestrian while he was crossing beneath the elevated structure in October last year, causing his death.

According to a DMTCL report, its safety audit committee, after reviewing the independent expert committee's findings, has completed the installation of 10 steel brackets for bearing pads on four piers.

It has also completed the replacement of a bearing pad on pier no 448, while replacement work on five other piers is underway.

The company has also initiated the procurement of 22 more bearing pads to replace those identified by the audit committee as deformed or damaged following its inspection after the October accident.

According to DMTCL officials, project officials, and consultants, the cost of each bearing pad is likely to be Tk 60,000 or more.

The expert committee reported 730 defective bearing pads, accounting for 23.28 per cent of the total pads inspected during January to June.

It also identified several structural, mechanical, electrical, and operational risks, including problems with pier heads, concrete defects, and cracks in at least 20 box girders.

The committee further reported excessive vibration and jerks, problems with the upper track, frequent undershooting, and defects in the overhead electric system.

Although DMTCL is yet to assess the total cost of carrying out the work recommended by the audit committee, officials say the company has started taking immediate measures using its own funds to comply with the High Court directive.

"There is no scope for discussing financial options first as we are bound to follow the instruction without delay," says an official, preferring not to be named.

The official, however, acknowledges that DMTCL has so far been bearing the expenses as the defect liability periods of the relevant contract packages have expired and the MRT-6 contracts contain no provision for replacement or spare parts.

MRT-6 is Bangladesh's first metro rail project, with study, design, and related technical support provided by Japanese consultants and experts under financing support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Sources blame the DMTCL's leadership and project officials for failing to adequately address such requirements in the respective contracts.

DMTCL began partial operation of MRT-6 in late 2022 as part of the previous government's election pledge and gradually expanded services until the full Uttara-Motijheel section became operational.

The line, however, was put into operation before all commissioning tests and related works were fully completed, sources say.

The Japanese side has also raised concerns over the operation and maintenance of MRT-6, including inadequate manpower for operating and maintaining the country's first highly technical mass transit system.

A DMTCL official, however, says the audit committee has already held discussions with the consultants and contractors and received assurances that they would provide necessary support to address the short-, medium-, and long-term problems identified by the expert team.