The new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and commuter trains are being launched on Sunday to improve communication between Gazipur and Dhaka.
Bangladesh Railway is introducing eight commuter trains on the Dhaka-Gazipur route.
The trains, named Turag and Joydebpur Commuter, will depart from Dhaka's Kamalapur Railway Station four times a day and will also arrive in Dhaka from Joydebpur four times daily. This will facilitate convenient travel for passengers between Dhaka and Gazipur.
The Turag Commuter 1 train will start its journey from Dhaka at 5am and reach Joydebpur at 6am, making stops at Dhaka Airport and Tongi Station.
The Turag Commuter 2 train will depart from Joydebpur Station at 6:30am, arriving at Dhaka Station at 7:40am. It will stop at Tejgaon, Banani, Dhaka Airport, Tongi and Dhirashram.
The Turag Commuter 3 train will leave Dhaka at 5:20pm and reach Joydebpur at 6:40pm, with stops at Tejgaon, Banani, Dhaka Airport, Tongi and Dhirashram.
The Turag Commuter 4 train will depart from Joydebpur at 9:45pm, arriving in Dhaka at 11:15pm, stopping at Tejgaon, Dhaka Airport and Tongi.
On the other hand, the Joydebpur Commuter 1 train will leave Dhaka at 5:25am and reach Joydebpur Station at 6:25am, stopping at Tejgaon, Dhaka Airport and Tongi.
The Joydebpur Commuter 2 train will depart from Joydebpur at 7:10am and arrive in Dhaka at 8:25am.
The Joydebpur Commuter 3 train will leave Dhaka at 11am and reach Joydebpur at 12pm.
The Joydebpur Commuter 4 train will start from Joydebpur at 12:30pm, arriving in Dhaka at 1:40pm. These trains will also stop at Tejgaon, Banani, Dhaka Airport and Tongi.
The Turag Commuter has a weekly holiday on Friday, while the Jamalpur Commuter’s holiday is on Saturday. Tickets for these trains will be issued exclusively from specific stations.
In addition to the new train services, the BRT system will also be inaugurated Sunday, albeit on a limited scale.
The project was initiated in 2005 under a 20-year Strategic Transport Plan (STP) to facilitate easy communication between Dhaka and Gazipur by constructing a separate bus lane on a 20-kilometer stretch from the airport to Gazipur.
Despite several extensions and increased construction costs, the project remains unfinished.
However, to alleviate the commuting difficulties faced by the public, the government has decided to inaugurate the project in its current state.
Initially, 10 air-conditioned buses will ply the route from the airport to Gazipur.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) Chairman, Md Tazul Islam, announced that the number of buses will be increased according to demand.
The fare structure for the BRT buses has been set by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
The fare will be Tk20 taka from Shibbari to Chowrasta, Tk35 from Board Bazar, Tk50 from Tongi College Gate and Tk70 to the airport.
On the return journey, the fare from the airport to College Gate will be Tk25, Tk40 from Board Bazar, Tk55 from Chowrasta and Tk70 from Shibbari.
The launch of these new transportation services is expected to significantly improve the daily lives of commuters traveling between Gazipur and Dhaka, providing them with more options and reducing travel time.