[🇧🇩] City Buses, Metro Rail, Urban Transport & City Road Infra

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thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Construction of railway bridge over Jamuna River enters final stage
Published :
Jun 21, 2024 16:22
Updated :
Jun 21, 2024 16:22

The construction of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge over the Jamuna River is entering its final stage.

According to authorities, the railway bridge will be inaugurated by December this year.

Bridge Project Director Al Fattah Mohammad Masudur Rahman told bdnews24.com: "87 per cent of the work is complete. The rest of the work will be completed by December. The railway bridge, which has been a dream for people in the north, will be open for use."

According to Masudur, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the bridge in December.

"All preparations are being taken with this aim," he added.

The first span of the superstructure was laid down after overcoming the Jamuna River's depth and the strength of its current, paving the way for the connection between Sirajganj and Tangail.

The 4.8km-long bridge is now visible due to the links created between Sirajganj and Tangail.​

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka flyovers being painted in cultural themes while cleanup alongside major thoroughfares continues.

 

[Saif]

China keen to provide loan for another metro rail project

China would provide Tk 450 billion in the project, known as metro rail-2, worth Tk 600 billion. The Economic Relations Division (ERD) held a meeting with the visiting delegation of the Chinese Exim Bank on Wednesday afternoon. ERD’s additional secretary Mirana Mahrukh led the ERD team at the...

en.prothomalo.com

China keen to provide loan for another metro rail project
Special CorrespondentDhaka
Published: 03 Jul 2024, 22: 56

China Exim Bank is interested in providing loans for construction of a metro rail route stretching from Gabtoli to Narayanganj via Sadarghat.

China would provide Tk 450 billion in the project, known as metro rail-2, worth Tk 600 billion.

The Economic Relations Division (ERD) held a meeting with the visiting delegation of the Chinese Exim Bank on Wednesday afternoon. ERD's additional secretary Mirana Mahrukh led the ERD team at the meeting held at ERD auditorium.

A total of nine projects were discussed at the meeting. Apart from metro rail, the Chinese bank is also interested in providing loans for Bhanga to Payra port railway project, estimated cost at Tk 410.80 billion.

Bangladesh also showed interest about Chinese loans in construction of a new bridge over the river Kocha in Pirojpur and repair of the Muktarpur bridge in Munshiganj. The other railway projects listed for Chinese loans include constructions of dual gauge rail track from Joydebpur in Gazipur to Jamalpur, broad gauge railway track from Dhalarchar in Pabna to Panchuria in Faridpur, a railway workshop in Rajbari and conversion of the metre gauge line to dual gauge from Bhairab Bazar to Mymensingh. These projects were discussed in yesterday's meeting.

Meanwhile, discussion was held about the availability of Chinese currency equivalent to USD 5 to 7 billion. Bangladesh informed the Chinese side about the interest rate and repayment period with grace period of such trade facility with other countries or organisations.

An ERD source said a fund like export development fund can be created after taking loans in Chinese currency. Bangladeshi exporters will be paid in Yuan against imports from China.

An official of ERD said the announcement about the Chinese loans in these road and rail projects might be made at the prime minister Sheikh Hasina's China visit slated for 8-11 July.

China has not provided Bangladesh any loan in the last one year. In the latest, Chinese loan was available in an infrastructure development project of Rajshahi WASA in May 2023. Usually when China proposes loans for any project, the Chinese authorities fix the contractor for the specific project. That contractor implements the work. There is no scope to select contractors through a tender process.​

 

[Saif]

Urgent steps needed to reopen Metro Rail, Expressway

Over the last week, the disgraceful scenes of ransacked and willfully damaged public property shocked the nation. Victims of the senseless mayhem included two stations of the Metro Rail, buildings of Bridge Division, BTV, Department of Disaster Management, BARTA, Narsingdi district jail, toll plaza

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Urgent steps needed to reopen Metro Rail, Expressway
ATIQUL KABIR TUHIN
Published :
Jul 27, 2024 21:53
Updated :
Jul 27, 2024 21:53

File photo

Over the last week, the disgraceful scenes of ransacked and willfully damaged public property shocked the nation. Victims of the senseless mayhem included two stations of the Metro Rail, buildings of Bridge Division, BTV, Department of Disaster Management, BARTA, Narsingdi district jail, toll plazas of Hanif flyover and expressway, police stations, police boxes, the charred remains of hundreds of privately-owned vehicles, 29 DNCC garbage dump trucks and more.

Among the widespread destruction of public properties, the damage caused to the metro rail and elevated expressway infrastructures has seriously disrupted the city's transportation network. An angry mob vandalised metro stations, toll plazas, and even committed arson, leading to the suspension of these crucial services. Dhaka Metro Rail and Elevated Expressway are not just transportation systems; they have become lifelines for the city's transportation system within a short period of their opening. While the damage assessment and repair planning are still ongoing, the authorities' initial remark that it would take a long time to reopen these vital services is incomprehensible.

For example, without delving into the technical details of the damage, it has been estimated that it could take up to a year to reopen the metro services. Significant damage was reported at two key metro stations: Mirpur 10 and Kazipara. However, this raises the question: Can the metro services not resume while repairs are being conducted at these two stations? Given the crucial role the metro plays in the daily commute of thousands of people in the city, it is worth exploring interim solutions to mitigate the disruption.

Similarly, the reopening date for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway remains uncertain after the violent events led to the destruction of two toll plazas at the Mohakhali and Banani points. The expressway has six toll plazas along its various ramps, and only two were significantly affected. The authorities should urgently consider a mechanism to reopen the expressway while repairing these two damaged access points. Options might include temporarily waiving tolls at the damaged plazas or establishing alternative toll collection methods to maintain the flow of traffic and reduce congestion in the city.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) are apparently taking cautious steps, prioritising safety and thorough inspections before resuming operations. DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique said the resumption of metro rail services will not be considered until a comprehensive report from an eight-member technical committee is received. Similarly, the BBA is waiting for an inquiry report before making any decisions about reopening the expressway.

The sooner these services are restored, the sooner normalcy can return to the daily lives of Dhaka's citizens. It is crucial for the authorities to act swiftly and decisively, ensuring that the necessary repairs are completed without unnecessary delays, and that the city's transportation network is brought back to full functionality as soon as possible. Even partial reopening of these two critical transport infrastructures could provide significant relief to the city's overburdened transport network and restore some semblance of normalcy for commuters.​

 

[Saif]

Repairs to metro rail will cost public funds in absence of insurance

Public funds will be used to pay for repairs to Dhaka Metro Rail stations in the capital’s Kazipara and Mirpur-10 areas as the popular mass rapid transit system is uninsured

www.thedailystar.net

Repairs to metro rail will cost public funds in absence of insurance

Public funds will be used to pay for repairs to Dhaka Metro Rail stations in the capital's Kazipara and Mirpur-10 areas as the popular mass rapid transit system is uninsured.

Mohammad Zakaria, additional director of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 project, said the previous government did not insure the metro rail after it began operations in late 2022.

However, the project was under coverage during construction, he added.

The stations were damaged amid clashes between pro-government forces and protesters during a recent mass uprising that ended with Sheikh Hasina's resignation from her post as prime minister.

However, the repair costs will put more pressure on the public treasury, an official of the Sadharan Bima Corporation, the only state-owned non-life insurer, said on condition of anonymity.

"If it had been insured, the government wouldn't have to pay for repairs from its coffers," the official added.

An official of the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, which operates the metro rail, said the cost of repairs should not exceed Tk 50 crore.

He also informed that everything inside the metro stations, including ticket vending machines, police control rooms, computers, and security systems, had been smashed to bits.

On the evening of July 19, unidentified miscreants took advantage of the ongoing unrest to carry out mindless attacks on the Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations.

Although the metro rail is set to resume operations on August 17, the two stations will remain shuttered until repairs are complete.

Before the service was halted, more than 3 lakh people used the metro rail daily.

Citing that insurance coverage would have at least reduced the burden, the Sadharan Bima official said a reluctance to get insurance is a longstanding problem in Bangladesh.

"We want every state-owned asset to be insured, but our country does not have that culture. People abroad mitigate their risks with insurance, but we sit on it and that is a big problem."

An official of the Financial Institutions Division under the Ministry of Finance echoed the same.

"If the government had opted for insurance, the cost of repairs would not strain on the public treasury," the official said.

In February this year, the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority sought cooperation from ministries and other public entities to expand insurance coverage in the country.

The insurance regulator sent a letter to the Financial Institutions Division on February 15, seeking an inter-ministerial meeting in this regard.

Currently, insurance penetration stands at less than 1 percent in Bangladesh, which has a population of around 170 million.

The letter also pointed out that the National Insurance Policy 2014 informs of the economic and social benefits of life insurance as well as insuring health, education, factories, residential and office buildings, agriculture, fisheries and livestock, and more.

Md Main Uddin, a professor of banking and insurance at the University of Dhaka, said the former government most likely opted against insurance as it was confident such incidents would never occur.

"The government should think about bringing all important projects under insurance. Then they will be paid compensation if there is any damage," he added.

The MRT Line-6, the country's first metro rail, was made partially operational from Uttara to Agargaon in December 2022. The Agargaon-Motijheel section was opened in October last year.

The Awami League government implemented a Tk 33,472 crore project to build a 21.26-kilometre rail line from Uttara to Kamalapur, with most of the funds loaned from Japan.​

 

[Saif]

Inaugurated but inaccessible

The first elevated expressway in Chattogram city has yet to open to traffic, even though over eight months have passed since its inauguration in November last year.

www.thedailystar.net

Inaugurated but inaccessible
Ctg elevated expressway still not open after 8 months

The first elevated expressway in Chattogram city has yet to open to traffic, even though over eight months have passed since its inauguration in November last year.

The delay has been a disappointment to commuters in the port city, as they keep waiting for a respite from unbearable traffic congestion.

When the expressway was inaugurated, city dwellers hoped that their suffering would finally come to an end. However, the reality has been a far cry.

"We are still suffering from traffic jams and don't know how much longer this will go on," said Abdul Khalek, a private job holder who commutes regularly from the city's GEC intersection to Customs area.

The Chattogram Development Authority constructed the 16-kilometre-long expressway, from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga, at a cost of Tk 4,298.95 crore, to smooth communication and boost the economy.

Even though the construction work was incomplete, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the expressway last year, a decision that drew flak from city planners, who termed it a bid to show off the development achieved by the then-ruling party ahead of the election.

Delwar Hossain Mazumdar, executive member of Forum for Planned Chattogram, earlier said the CDA failed to fulfil people's expectations.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved the government-funded Chattogram Elevated Expressway project in July 2017, scheduled to be completed by June 2020.

CDA, however, failed to complete it within the stipulated time, so the project's deadline was extended twice till June 2024, while its cost went up from Tk 3,250 crore to Tk 4,298.95 crore.

The 16.5-metre-wide expressway has a four-lane path with 14 ramps at nine points.

In August 2023, CDA decided to name it after former Chattogram city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Visiting Lalkhan Bazar point of the expressway recently, this correspondent observed that workers were installing electric cables to connect lamps.

Contacted, Mahfuzur Rahman, project director and executive engineer at CDA, said there is no work left except installation of lights on the expressway.

Asked why the expressway has not opened to traffic yet, Mahfuzur dodged the question and requested this correspondent to contact the CDA chairman to know the date for opening the expressway to the public.

Asked why it was inaugurated last year before all works were completed, the CDA official said, "They [high officials of public works ministry] forced us in this regard."

This correspondent went to the office of CDA chairman Mohammad Yunus for his comment on August 13 but found that he has not been coming to office since the former government's fall on August 5. He could not be reached over phone despite several attempts.​

 

[Saif]

Metro rail services resumption: Work abstention behind the delay

Uncertainty looms over metro rail service resumption as a group of metro rail employees vowed to continue their work abstention until all six of their demands are met

www.thedailystar.net

Metro rail services resumption: Work abstention behind the delay

File photo

Uncertainty looms over metro rail service resumption as a group of metro rail employees vowed to continue their work abstention until all six of their demands are met.

Metro rail authorities will meet the newly appointed adviser of the road transport and bridges ministry tomorrow to end the stalemate, officials said.

"We will inform him [adviser] about the prevailing situation tomorrow [Sunday] and hope the stalemate will end soon," MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd, said.

Once employees rejoin, metro rail operations can be resumed within five days, he told The Daily Star today.

Operations of metro rail have remained suspended since July 18 after two stations were vandalised during the quota reform protests, which later turned into an uprising that toppled the Hasina-led government on August 5.

On July 19, attackers vandalised two metro stations -- Mirpur-10 and Kazipara.

The government directed DMTCL on August 11 to complete necessary technical checks within seven days to resume services, without the two vandalised stations.

On the same day, the advisory council of the interim government decided to resume metro rail services on August 16.

But, DMTCL, in a press statement on August 15, said it would not be possible to resume metro rail operation as per plan as they could not start necessary technical checks due to an unavoidable situation.

Although the DMTCL did not state any reason in the statement, sources said the authorities failed to start the trial runs due to the ongoing work abstention by a group of DMTCL employees.

Around 700 of the DMTCL employees of grade 10 to 20 have been on work abstention since August 6 to press home their six-point demand, including pay hike.

Mohammad Abdur Rouf, company secretary of DMTCL, said they have already started meeting five of the six demands.

"We also assured them to meet their demands for salary hike, as we [DMTCL authority] cannot fulfil this demand unless DMTCL board takes a decision in this regard. But they [employees] were adamant about not rejoining unless an order in this regard is issued," said Rouf.

The agitating employees said while DMTCL employees from 1st to 9th grade earn 2.3 time the national pay scale, employees from 10th to 20th grade earn only 2 times more than the pay scale. They want this "discrimination" to be removed.

MAN Siddique said they have, in writing, assured the employees that their demands will be met once a new chairman of the DMTCL board takes charge.

The interim government has cancelled the contract of the immediate past secretary of the road transport and highways division, who was the ex-officio chairman of the board.

He said the interim government has appointed a secretary for the division today, so they hope to hold a board meeting soon.

"We will inform the adviser on the issues. We hope that the problem will be solved very soon," he added.

The Daily Star was unable to reach any of the protesting employees for a comment.​

 

[Bilal9]