Larsen & Toubro has secured major design-and-build orders worth more than ₹5,000 crore for core systems on Dhaka Metro Line 1, Bangladesh’s first underground metro project, strengthening the Indian infrastructure company’s role in the country’s expanding urban rail network.
L&T said on Tuesday that its transportation business will execute two key packages for the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, covering track works and electrical systems. The packages also include signalling, telecommunications and platform screen doors across the corridor.
The company classifies contracts valued above ₹5,000 crore as major orders. L&T will undertake the work with Japanese partner Sumitomo Corporation, covering design, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning.
The electrical scope includes power supply and distribution systems, traction substations, the overhead catenary system and associated electrical facilities. Together with the track package, these systems form the operational backbone required to move trains safely and reliably through the metro corridor.
Dhaka Metro Line 1 is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and will span around 31 km. The project comprises two routes: the Airport Route, connecting Kamalapur with the airport, and the Purbachal Route, running from Natun Bazar to Purbachal Terminal. The line will include 19 stations and a depot at Pitalganj.
The project is significant for Dhaka because it combines an airport-serving urban corridor with a connection to the Purbachal area. L&T said the line is intended to provide a modern mass transit system for the city, although the announcement did not provide a revised completion schedule or details of the expected passenger capacity.
L&T has previously delivered the integrated railway systems package for Dhaka Metro Line 6, Bangladesh’s first metro rail corridor, which is currently in commercial operation. The company has also undertaken systems work for the Jakarta Metro, which remains under execution, according to its statement.
“With a strong track record of delivering E&M systems for the Dhaka Metro Line 6 with the highest standards of quality and timely execution, and more recently, for the Jakarta Metro, which is under execution, we are well positioned to leverage our experience in seamlessly integrating multiple systems in close coordination with OEMs and stakeholders,” said Ramkumar S, senior executive vice-president and head of Transportation Infrastructure at L&T.
The new orders place L&T and Sumitomo in charge of several systems that must operate together across the line. Track, power, traction, signalling, telecommunications and platform screen doors will require coordinated installation, testing and commissioning before passenger operations can begin. The company did not disclose the individual value of the two packages or the expected construction milestones.
The next stages will involve detailed design, procurement and installation in coordination with the project authorities, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders. L&T’s announcement did not specify a separate commissioning date for the Line 1 systems packages.
