Bangladesh plans to build an underground railway in Dhaka in the next five years at a cost of one billion dollars to ease traffic in one of the world's most congested capitals, an official said Monday.
"The government has decided to build an underground railway network in the capital. The Board of Investment will soon invite international bidding for the contract," communications ministry spokesman Aminul Islam said.
The proposed 52-kilometre (32-mile) subway will ferry up to 90,000 people an hour on six lines in the capital of 12 million where an estimated 400,000 cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles vie with people, rickshaws and hand-pulled carts for space on narrow roads.