Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
The capital and its surrounding areas are unlikely to get any new mass- transit services, including metro, subway, and circular train, over the next 20 years, as per the final Strategic Transport Plan (STP) 2025 draft.
The STP, being revised for the second time this year to make transport plans till 2045, however, recommends the extension of four under-implementation metro lines.
The four lines - Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) 1, MRT 6, MRT 5 North, and MRT 5 South - are being implemented as per the revised STP (RSTP) formulated in 2015. The routes will be extended to bring cities near Dhaka under the mass-transit network, sources said.
However, bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rapid transit (LRT) are unlikely to be included in STP 2025.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority has proposed 258 kilometres of Dhaka subway network, which includes 11 underground lines to be built at an estimated cost of $72 billion.
Besides, Bangladesh Railway proposed 80.89 kilometres of circular train lines around Dhaka city with an estimated cost of $8.40 billion.
Director of the Updating STP project Rabiul Alam said there is no recommendation for new MRT, subway, and circular trains in the final STP 2025 draft presented by the consultants.
"However, no final decision has been made yet. These will be discussed at the stakeholder meeting later," he said.
Officials said the final STP 2025 draft has been prepared based on studies on the Dhaka metropolitan, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha's (RAJUK) Detailed Area Plan (DAP), and the Dhaka Metropolitan and More (DMR) areas.
An official preferring not to be named said the scope for LRT and BRT in STP 2025 is slim due to the increase in the number of commuters and trips in all the studied areas, though various quarters earlier proposed these in district towns like Narayanganj.
The first STP formulated in 2005 under the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board proposed three MRT and three BRT networks in the Dhaka metropolitan area. This was proposed without studying trips.
At the time of the first revision of STP, five MRT and two BRT networks were proposed for the Dhaka and RAJUK areas in 2015, when trip generation stood at 27.7 million.
The BRT projects did not succeed in either the first or the second STP. This was mainly because building the Gazipur-Airport BRT involved lots of hassles and the government did not want to implement any more project like that.
STP 2025 is being formulated by Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) with the Asian Development Bank's support. In it, the number of trips was put at 38 million based on the 2022-23 counting.
The number of MRT services increased to six during the feasibility study of MRT 5 as the line was separated into two parts - MRT 5 South and MRT 5 North.
At present, MRT 6 is under operation, while MRT 1, MRT 5 North, and MRT 5 South are at various stages of implementation.
Official sources said though the MRT 6 extension plan was not included in STP 2015, a study on extending it up to Tongi from Uttara has already been completed and will be incorporated in STP 2025.
Extending MRT services to Gazipur through MRT 6 or MRT 1 is being discussed in STP 2025.
MRT 1 is under implementation from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to the Dhaka Railway Station in Kamalapur via Pragati Sarani.
Work is underway to extend MRT 6, now operative from Motijheel to Uttara, from Motijheel to the Dhaka Railway Station.
MRT 5 North may be extended to Jalsiri-Bhulta from Vatara, said an official.
Sources said as there has been no development of MRT 2 and MRT 4 despite efforts during the last 10 years, STP 2025 is likely to propose rerouting the MRT 2 line to Old Dhaka via Bangshal road.
STP 2025 is likely to incorporate the proposal to extend MRT 5 South's route to Hemayetpur, Nabinagar, and Baipail in Savar.
MRT 4, which plans to connect the Dhaka Railway Station and Narayanganj, was not found feasible in the preliminary study as Bangladesh Railway is likely to introduce electric train services on the route.
smunima@yahoo.com