The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has urged Bangladesh to fast-track the long-delayed construction of the MRT-1 and MRT-5 metro rail lines in Dhaka, warning that the persistent delays could jeopardise project financing and timely completion.

Officials said that the Japanese funding agency recently wrote to Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, the interim government’s Road Transport and Bridges Adviser, calling for urgent action to accelerate progress on the two metro projects.

Copies of the letter were also sent to Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, the Economic Relations Division secretary, and the managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).

Both the MRT-1 and MRT-5 (North) lines were approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in late 2019, but physical progress remains minimal.

Despite JICA’s substantial financial commitment, including $979.8 million for the MRT-5 North Line and Tk 394.50 billion for the Tk 539.77-billion MRT-1 project, construction work on key sections has yet to begin.

According to DMTCL data, work has started on only one of the twelve packages under the MRT-1 project, focusing on depot development in Purbachal. The remaining packages are still under tender evaluation. Similarly, under MRT-5 North, only one package involving the Hemayetpur depot has seen progress, while the other nine remain pending.

JICA’s letter, officials said, expressed concern that prolonged administrative delays, stalled contract approvals, and disputes over bidding prices are holding back implementation. It reminded authorities that the projects must be completed before 2030 to retain Japan’s funding commitment and technical support.

The MRT-1 line, stretching 31 kilometres from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur with a branch to Purbachal, and the 20-km MRT-5 North line from Hemayetpur to Bhatara are designed to ease Dhaka’s chronic traffic congestion. But progress has been mired in bureaucratic bottlenecks, financing delays, and coordination challenges between agencies.

“The government’s inability to utilise the assured funds has led JICA to express concern about possible revisions to its financial support,” said an official at the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry.

Both lines are now projected to begin commercial operations in the late 2020s, several years behind schedule. For JICA, which has been Dhaka’s key metro rail financier, the projects represent critical test cases for Bangladesh’s capacity to execute large-scale urban infrastructure within set deadlines.