The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) is recommending the government to set up five new metro rail routes by 2035 as a possible solution to the capital’s chronic traffic congestion crisis.
The proposal has already been sent to the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry as part of a draft of the Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP), which the DTCA aims to finalise by this December.
After receiving the draft, the ministry sent a letter last month to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to start feasibility studies for the new metro rail routes, with priority set for the assessment of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines 1 and 5.
The move came after Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader’s Japan tour where he met with Jica’s Senior Vice-President Hideaki Domichi on July 28.
Ministry sources said Jica is yet to respond to its letter, but is expected to agree to start the work on MRT line 1.
“We hope that Jica will respond [to the letter] soon, even though the new metro rail project is yet to be approved by the government. We think the RSTP will be finalised within December,” said DTCA Executive Director Kaikobad Hossain.
Shamsul Haque, a civil engineering professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), said the public has so far not benefited from the large-scale government plans as there has not been proper implementation. However, if the proposal for the new metro rail routes goes ahead as planned, the liveability of Dhaka would increase, he added.
According to the primary RSTP draft, the MRT line 1 will connect Gazipur to Keraniganj’s Jhilmil via Kamalapur and Motijheel; most of the metro rail tracks will be elevated over the existing rail tracks while a small part of it will be underground.
The first of the two-phase project will be a 26.6km long line – with 6km of it underground – from Gazipur to Dhaka airport, expected to be completed by 2025.
The second phase will see a 26km long line – with 3.3km of it underground – from the airport to Jhilmil, expected to be completed by 2035.
The first phase is expected to cost $2.83bn and second part is $5.87bn.
The proposed MRT 5 line will start from Bhulta on Dhaka-Sylhet highway and stretch to Gabtoli via Badda, Hatirjheel, Panthapath and Mirpur Road. Its total length would be 35km – with 9.1km of it underground, while the cost will be approximately $4.28bn.
In 2004, the government set a 20-year Strategic Transport Plan for the capital and the adjacent districts. But the strategy is now being revised as authorities concerned have failed to achieve timely progress in the transport plan.