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

[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]

 

[Saif]

One year of operation: Dhaka expressway fetches Tk 1.04b

Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE), the country's first road-access-control infrastructure, celebrated one year of inauguration on Tuesday, recording 12.7-million traffic during the period with domination of the lowest-toll-charged vehicles. According to data, Tk 1.04 billion was collected in tolls

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

One year of operation: Dhaka expressway fetches Tk 1.04b
Munima Sultana
Published :
Sep 04, 2024 09:43
Updated :
Sep 04, 2024 09:43

Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE), the country's first road-access-control infrastructure, celebrated one year of inauguration on Tuesday, recording 12.7-million traffic during the period with domination of the lowest-toll-charged vehicles.

According to data, Tk 1.04 billion was collected in tolls for using the 11.5-km DEE since its opening on 03 September 2023.

However, 98 per cent of the tolls came from private cars and microbuses which pay Tk 80 for using the expressway from any of the six entrance points.

As only 11.5-km DEE from Airport to Farmgate and Kawran Bazar has been opened for traffic after inauguration by Sheikh Hasina, the number of buses has increased with some special services.

But trucks both small and big were hardly avail the short-distance expressway due to unable to complete rest part of the DEE which is to connect Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali of Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

Officials said although the total progress of the DEE is recorded 75 per cent, it was slowed since opening due to facing problems.

It has faced opposition from the two city mayors and case by subcontractors of the concessionaire company Italian-Thailand Public Development Company Limited (ITD) but partial DEE opening had to keep closed during the curfew period and after the vandalism during the quota movement on August 1.

Project Director AHMS Aktar, however, said all the gamut in the DEE work has almost been over.

He told the FE on this occasion on Tuesday that utility shifting work from Panthokunjo towards BUET has been speed up in recent days. Case filed by subcontractors to the Appellate Division was dismissed on September 1.

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority has been implementing the DEE project under the PPP model signing contract with ITD on January 19, 2011. But the project got momentum in 2020 after the ITD signed contract with two Chinese companies to carry entire work as sub contractors by managing fund from two Chinese banks.

It is estimated that 80,000 traffic will be using the DEE daily. The BBA data shows that the partial DEE opening, nearly 35,000 traffic on average use it daily.​

 

[Bilal9]

Utracon (Singapore) video on their post-tensioning concrete technology and facilities used in constructing Dhaka Metro Line 6

 

[Bilal9]

New ramp added to Dhaka Elevated Expressway (Karwan Bazaar)

 

[Saif]

New metro rail tracks: Questions over priority set by AL government

Experts say the priority list for the new metro rail tracks should be reconsidered now after the regime change. Besides, the estimated cost for the construction should be reviewed

en.prothomalo.com

New metro rail tracks: Questions over priority set by AL government
Arifur Rahman
Dhaka
Updated: 29 Oct 2024, 16: 00

Questions have been raised anew regarding the priorities set by the ousted Awami League government for the construction of new metro rail tracks to curb traffic congestion in the city.

It’s being said now that the track which should be constructed first is in the last on the priority list. Apart from that, the estimated cost for the construction of the new metro rail tracks also stirred questions.

The officials of the concerned ministries said the priority list for new Metro Rail tracks was set to benefit a special group. Common people’s interest was not considered in this case. Even the route set for the construction is wrong.

Experts say the priority list for the new metro rail tracks should be reconsidered now after the regime change. Besides, the estimated cost for the construction should be reviewed.

The roads and bridges ministry started works to set priorities for the construction of new metro rail tracks.

Adviser for the roads and bridges ministry, Fouzul Kabir Khan said the existing priority list would be reviewed.

The controversy

Mainly the MRT Line -5 has raised questions. It was supposed to be constructed from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi through Technical intersection, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Rasel Square, Karwan Bazar, Hatirjheel, Tejgaon, Aftabnagar, Aftabnagar Centre, Aftabnagar East and Nasirabad.

The relevant officials say the MRT Line-2 should be prioritised over the Line-5 (southern route). The Line-2 was supposed to carry passengers from Gabtoli to Narayanganj through Dhaka Udyan, Mohammadpur, Jigatala, Science Laboratory, New Market, Azimpur, Palashi, Dhaka Medical College, Gulistan, Motijheel, Kamalapur. The Line-2 project also includes the construction of a branch line from Gulistan to Sadarghat.

The planning commission says the project for Line-2 is far more important than the MRT Line-5 project. However, the project has been kept in the last slot of the priority list. There isn’t any notable progress in this project whereas the feasibility study for the Line-5 project is already completed. Even the technical design and the procurement plan have been finalised.

The planning commission officials are saying there are not that many commercial or industrial zones in the areas along the route of Line-5. Besides, the route is quite close to Line-6, which is already in service. The residents of areas from Gabtoli to Asad Gate can get the services of this line within a distance of one or two kilometres.

However, the construction of Line-2 would have benefitted more people. Therefore, it is more reasonable to implement the proposed project for the construction of Line-2 first; which connects several most densely populated areas of the city, including New Market, Dhanmondi and Old Dhaka.

Planning commission sources said an inter ministerial meeting was held at the commission in April last year on constructing the MRT Line-2 before the MRT Line-5. But the officials did not bring the matter to the fore out of fear as the government had prioritised the construction of MRT Line-5.

Once again the issue of prioritising has come to the fore due to the changed situation.

The then planning commission secretary Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian chaired the meeting. Now he is the agriculture secretary.

He told Prothom Alo the metro rail routes should be scrutinised more in this changed context. Priority should be given to the route considering the people’s needs.

Documents said the former Awami League government composed a strategic transport plan (STP) to curb the traffic congestion in Dhaka city and surrounding areas. Decision was taken to construct six MRT lines. Following this, the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) was formed in 2013 to plan the metro rail’s network, survey, design, financing, construction and running and maintenance.

The Uttara-Agargaon section of MRT Line-6 was opened for passenger movement on 29 December in 2022. The Agargaon-Motijheel part was opened on 5 November 2023.

The length of MRT Line-5 is 17.2 km. According to the DMTCL, the estimated cost for the MRT Line-5 is Tk 546.18 billion.

The project was sent to the planning commission for approval but the AL government fell before the approval. On the other hand, the estimated cost for the construction of MRT Line-2 is Tk 608.36 billion.

In the changed situation, the planning commission wrote a letter to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges on 23 September, saying that the MRT Line-5 project should be thoroughly re-scrutinised and reviewed considering the current context and priorities and take further action.

After receiving the letter, the ministry held an inter-ministerial meeting in the first week of this month and discussed which line should be given priority. Many spoke about rethinking metro rail’s new line.

Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, told Prothom Alo, “A new managing director (MD) for the metro rail is being sought. The entire metro rail line will be reviewed after the appointment of the new MD. It will be discussed then which one should be given priority.”

Fouzul Kabir Khan also said that the previous government had taken projects on whim, where the advantages and disadvantages of the people were not considered. There were their own interests. But now priority will be determined considering what will benefit the people more.

No analysis was done to determine the priority of routes of the six MRT lines, documents said.

The relevant officials said that the survey of all the lines should have been done together. But the survey was conducted at different times. Besides, there is no alternative proposal for each route.

The planning commission has said only constructing the metro rail will not be enough, it was not studied before whether it would be financially beneficial or not.

It further said the STP was done based on assumptions. Current economic situation is completely different from what it was at that time. Currently, the economic situation of the country is nearly out of control. A fresh survey should be done taking this reality into consideration and priorities should be fixed based on that.

The planning commission said it is suggested to hold a meeting with technical experts, concerned ministries and other stakeholders before the construction of MRT Line-5.

Wishing not to be named, an official of the commission told Prothom Alo that priority was given to the construction of the metro rail line in Dasherkandi and Aftabnagar areas to provide benefits to a certain group. Commercial and residential areas have not yet developed there.

The officials requested to find out why priority was given to Dasherkandi route excluding areas like Gulistan, Sadarghat and New Market.

Professor of civil engineering department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), M. Shamsul Hoque told Prothom Alo that all the metro rail lines should be reviewed anew. In particular, how the cost of constructing these lines has been estimated should be checked, because it is possible to construct a modern version of metro rail at a lower cost than this.

He said many countries including China and Indonesia are doing it.

Shamsul Hoque advised the interim government to review all metro rail lines.​

 

[Saif]

After metro rail, Dhaka’s buses should be the next megaproject

Metro rail is only one part of the puzzle; rationalising bus lines and making bus services passenger-friendly has to be the next step.

www.thedailystar.net

After metro rail, Dhaka’s buses should be the next megaproject

Using the experience of the metro rail, the city authorities in Dhaka can bring improvement and discipline to the public bus sector. FILE PHOTO: RASHED SHUMON

The Dhaka metro rail is still an ongoing project, with the first line—MRT-6—almost complete and several others under construction. Yet, few would shy away from calling it a tremendous success already. It works, people love it, and all that's required now is to maintain the quality of service and keep up with demand.

Unless, of course, as citizens of one of the most densely populated metropolises in the world, we aspire to a better quality of life.

The metro rail network, which authorities say will be complete by 2030, will span the entire city of Dhaka. With 103 stations, the expectation is that a complete network will make the metro rail service accessible to everyone. While 103 is quite a large number, Dhaka is an incredibly populated city, and getting one to two crore—depending on where you draw the city boundaries—Dhakaites from their homes to these stations and back will remain a challenge.

If Dhaka is to become a city with reliable public transport—and it must if it wants to stop being one of the least liveable places in the world—the government and city authorities need to look at the complete picture and work on efficient ways for people to commute. Metro rail is only one part of the puzzle; rationalising bus lines and making bus services passenger-friendly has to be the next step.

Since the metro rail has been operating full time, there have been reports that bus operators are starting to lose passengers. But that doesn't necessarily have to be the case. In Dhaka, one look at the roads tells us that not enough people use public transport, as roads are inundated with a sea of private vehicles, mainly cars.

Within a functional public transport system, buses can exist parallelly with metro lines, operating cheaper, slower services with more stops. This serves the dual purpose of offering alternative modes of transportation between two destinations, as well as becoming a medium of last mile delivery for passengers, doing the job of collecting commuters from near their homes and commercial destinations and putting them on a metro rail.

By reaching into parts of the cities that the metro rail can't get to, and connecting these areas to metro stations, buses can truly democratise public transportation in this city. Implemented correctly and supplemented with human-scale pedestrian and bicycle facilities, a mass transit ecosystem that consists of buses and metro rail working in tandem could finally make private cars unnecessary in our city, reducing their numbers on the road, and eventually lead to a city that isn't famous for its traffic congestion.

In truth, none of these are novel findings, and in the past, there have been efforts to achieve progress with bus services in Dhaka. The late Dhaka North Mayor Annisul Huq envisioned a bus ecosystem where a single company would operate buses, with hundreds of active routes rationalised into just 42, organised in a handful of clusters. The initiative stymied with his death, but was revived once more under the current Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh.

Trial runs were started in late 2021 under the company Dhaka Nagar Paribahan in three routes in the green cluster, all originating in Ghatarchar. The trials faced difficulties from the start, as the authorities expected private companies and entrepreneurs to join this initiative, but had to rely on the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) at the last minute to provide a large portion of buses for the initial trial.

Over the next two years, however, instead of increasing service areas and implementing the plan citywide, the initiative has suffered from non-compliance by private bus owners who were partnered with the government authorities. A report published in Prothom Alo this week paints a picture of disarray for Dhaka Nagar Paribahan—with a lack of sufficient buses, a tendency of buses in service to revert to old practices of dropping off and picking up passengers wherever they want, and an overall lack of cooperation by private companies. In the report, the Dhaka South mayor, who is also the convener of the Bus Route Rationalisation Committee, blamed blockades enacted by the opposition from October until the recently held national election for the lack of activity by the authorities concerned with Dhaka Nagar Paribahan. But a report by The Financial Express in October 2023 said that the committee hadn't met since May, five months before the blockades started.

The failure of Dhaka Nagar Paribahan and the apparent success of the metro rail tells the story that in Bangladesh, public transportation is being held hostage by the private sector. State-owned services like Bangladesh Railway leave a lot to be desired as well, but nowhere is the rot of bad service and bad faith worse than in the bus sector.

The benefits that have been brought about by the metro rail is proof enough, in case we needed it, that public transportation is a utility, not a consumer product. Allowing private bus owners to run riot with this crucial service has been one of the monumental long-term failures of Dhaka's city administration in its various forms over the decades. The idea of Dhaka Nagar Paribahan, which looked to include private players in the sector in a government-endorsed reorganisation of the industry, was a good idea, but it has not worked, and much of that responsibility falls on the shoulders of private bus companies and owners.

It is now the perfect time for the government to treat this utility like a utility, and focus its attention on this sector. Using the experience it will gain from the metro rail, it needs to create city services of such quality that it drives the fleet of unfit buses off of Dhaka roads. If the government can bring discipline, affordability and, most important of all, reliability to bus services, the public will be with them. The metro rail proves that.

Azmin Azran is a journalist at The Daily Star.​

 

[Saif]

Metro drops national symbols from single-journey tickets

Introduces 20,000 redesigned single-journey tickets

www.thedailystar.net

Metro drops national symbols from single-journey tickets
Introduces 20,000 redesigned single-journey tickets

Photo: Star

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) has redesigned single-journey tickets for the Dhaka Metro Rail, omitting four images symbolic of Bangladesh's language and independence struggles.

The new design has drawn widespread social media criticism, with many questioning the decision to remove these historic representations.

The change came to public attention after DMTCL, which operates the metro rail, introduced 20,000 of the redesigned single-journey tickets.

These new tickets no longer feature images of the Central Shaheed Minar, National Mausoleum, National Parliament Building, and the national flower, the water lily.

Instead, they display only an image of the metro rail itself.

The redesign followed the missing of approximately 200,000 single-journey tickets, which authorities suspect were taken by passengers instead of being returned after their trips.

Since its launch in December 2022, DMTCL has offered two types of cards: the MRT Pass (a permanent card) and the single-journey ticket.

Previously, both cards included the symbolic images and looked nearly identical apart from minor textual differences, which reportedly caused confusion at metro gates.

Md Zakaria, additional project director for MRT Line-6, said that the missing tickets were disrupting operations. To address this, DMTCL has ordered 440,000 new single-journey tickets from Japan, with 20,000 already in circulation.

The design change was necessary to create a clear distinction between the two types of cards and reduce operational issues at the gates, he added.

He also said that some passengers mistakenly attempted to reuse single-journey tickets with "touch and go" methods similar to the MRT Pass.

"So, we had to change the colour of the card and by doing so we had to change the design as well," he said.

Many questioned the decision to remove symbols reflecting the nation's heritage as these symbols are directly linked to the country's liberation, language movement and identity, and has no connection with any political parties.

However, many defended the changes, pointing out that metrocards in many countries do not display such images.

Asked about the social media criticism, he said, "We wanted to make 'specific difference' between MRT Pass and single-journey ticket. What can we do if some people raise eye-brows?"

Contacted, DMTCL Managing Director Mohammad Abdur Rouf said, "The images were omitted to avoid confusion between MRT pass and single-journey ticket. There is no other purpose behind it."

Besides, he said, the single-journey ticket will remain within the station and they would not change the design of the MRT Pass, which is widely used.

Rouf also said the decision to change the design was taken before he took charge.

The MRT Line-6 project, which spans from Uttara to Kamalapur at a cost of Tk 33,472 crore, opened its Uttara-Motijheel section to the public in November 2023.

Construction on the Motijheel-Kamalapur section is ongoing.​

 

[Saif]

Most metro rail projects set to miss 2030 deadline

The sluggish pace of five of the six ongoing and proposed projects for the construction of mass rapid transit lines, popularly known as metro rail, connecting Dhaka city and its outskirts makes their completion unlikely by 2030.

www.newagebd.net

Most metro rail projects set to miss 2030 deadline
Shahin Akhter 12 November, 2024, 00:42

File photo

The sluggish pace of five of the six ongoing and proposed projects for the construction of mass rapid transit lines, popularly known as metro rail, connecting Dhaka city and its outskirts makes their completion unlikely by 2030.

The six projects are meant to build six metro rail lines with metro trains are now running on the first portion of the elevated MRT Line-6 project on the Uttara–Motijheel route.

The Line-6 took about six years to complete.

Construction works of two more lines, including the first underground metro rail, started last year, while construction works of three more lines are yet to start.

The government is already planning to ditch one of the lines—MRT Line 5 Southern Route—citing it to be less useful.

Transport experts observe that some of these projects would very likely cross their current 2030 deadline, particularly because they include the building of underground rail lines involving more time and cost.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited managing director Mohammad Abdur Rouf said that they had faced some challenges, including delays in getting approvals, which in some cases took about a year, from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the funding agency for the MRT 6, 1 and 5 (Northern route) lines.

‘We, however, face no problem in getting the fund released although the JICA makes detailed queries about different components of these projects,’ he said, adding that they were still with their plan to finish the lines’ construction by 2030.

Some project officials, meanwhile, said that some projects would require more time.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited is the implementing agency of the metro rail system.

The works to build a network of around 141-kilometre-long six MRT lines, comprising both elevated and underground ones, started in 2016 in Dhaka city to finish by 2030 with stated aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve the environment of the capital and peri-urban areas around it.

As per the government plan, the first metro rail project—MRT Line-6—is expected to complete by 2025; the MRT Line-1 in 2026; the MRT Line-5 Northern Route in 2028; and the MRT Line–5 Southern Route, the MRT Line-2, and the MRT Line-4 in 2030.

The 21.26-km-long MRT Line-6 on the Uttara–Kamalapur route has been under implementation since 2012 and its construction began in 2016.

Following extension of the line, the modification of rolling stocks and other reasons, the revised cost now stands at around Tk 33,472 crore (with JICA provided Tk 19,719 crore as loan) from Tk 21,985.07 crore while the modified deadline is December 2025 which was June 2024.

Metro rail services on the Uttara–Agargaon section was inaugurated on December 28, 2022 which extended till Motijheel on November 4, 2023.

As of October this year, the average progress of works of Uttara-Motijheel section is 98.62 per cent and the progress of the civil works of on the Motijheel-Kamalapur section is 41.73 per cent.

The 31.241-km-long MRT Line-1 will be the first underground metro rail system in Bangladesh and its construction work started on February 2, 2023.

The line between the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the Dhaka (Kamalapur) Railway Station will have two parts — 19.872-km-long underground Airport Route and 11.369-km-long elevated Purbachal Route.

The project is cost is around Tk 53,900 crore while the JICA is providing around Tk 39,450 crore as project assistance.

Till October this year, the progress of the project’s land development works for the depot at Pitalganj is 80 per cent.

Calling of tenders for different packages of the project are under processes currently, said a project official.

He added that it would require more time to complete the project work as the contractor for the project is yet to be selected.

The MRT Line-5 will have two routes — northern and southern — which will be regarded as two separate MRT lines.

The Northern Route is scheduled to run between Hemayetpur and Bhatara while the Southern Route between Gabtoli and Dasherkandi.

The construction work of the Northern Route started on November 4, 2023 with an estimated cost of Tk 41,238 crore while the JICA is providing around Tk 29,117 crore as project assistance.

The total length of the Northern Route is 20km — 6.5-km-long elevated section from Hemayetpur to Amin Bazar and from Natun Bazar to Bhatara and 13.5-km-long underground section from Amin Bazar to Natun Bazar transition.

The progress of the land development work for the depot at Hemayetpur is 30.63 per cent till October this year.

Tenders for other works are under processes currently.

Transportation engineering expert Professor Md Shamsul Hoque said that the alignment of the MRT line 6 was the best out of all six MRT lines which took around six years to be completed.

‘It will require many years to construct underground metro lines in a densely populated city like which will also cost higher,’ he said and observed that light rail or monorail systems are much suitable for Bangladesh.

He urged the government to revisit the planned MRT line projects terming these as ‘energy and cost- hungry’ ones.

The feasibility study and engineering design for the 17.2-km-long MRT Line-5 Southern Route have been carried out for the purpose of building it’s underground segment from Gabtoli to the west side of Aftab Nagar and elevated stretch from the centre of Aftab Nagar to Dasherkandi.

The Planning Commission is now rethinking to scrape the project, said managing director Abdur Rouf.

In order to construct around a 35-km-long MRT Line-2 from Gabtoli to Narayanganj sadar via Mohammadpur, New Market, Gulistan, Kamalapur and Signboard, the authorities are now in search for a development aid organisation to conduct the feasibility study.

The authorities appointed consultant company on May 14 this year to conduct feasibility study for the construction of around 16-km-long MRT Line-4, combining of elevated and underground segments — between Kamalapur in the capital and Madanpur in Narayanganj district via Signboard.​

 

[Bilal9]

Ashulia Expressway update November 2024



Dhaka Elevated Expressway update November 2024

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka Bypass Expressway update November 2024​

 

[Bilal9]

Review trims MRT-5 project cost by Taka 7000 crore for new route for Gabtali - Dasherkandi Metro line

 

[Saif]

Govt to amend Metro Rail Act

The government is going to amend the Metro Rail Act-2015 to incorporate several sections, including amendments to facilitate the construction of underground metro rail, which is now ongoing.

www.thedailystar.net

Govt to amend Metro Rail Act
Facilitating underground rail main agenda; draft sent to ministry

The government is going to amend the Metro Rail Act-2015 to incorporate several sections, including amendments to facilitate the construction of underground metro rail, which is now ongoing.

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), the implementing and operating agency of the metro rail, has already prepared a draft and sent it to the Road Transport and Highways Division under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, officials said.

An ordinance, in absence of the parliament, will be issued upon completion of the necessary scrutiny and taking opinions from stakeholders, they added.

The move came at a time when DMTCL is implementing three metro rail projects, including the extension of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6, the country's first metro rail line.

The decision to amend the act was taken to make the law time-befitting and address some other issues. There won't be any major changes. An amendment to the act was proposed to make metro rail operations more effective. — Mohammad Abdur Rouf Managing director, DMTCL

Two other ongoing projects -- MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (northern route) -- have underground sections.

The previous Awami League government in June 2013 formed the state-run DMTCL to construct metro rail lines and operate and maintain metro rail services.

The parliament passed the Metro Rail Act-2015 in January 2015 to devise the construction of metro rail lines as well as operate, control and maintain metro rail services.

"The decision to amend the act was taken to make the law time-befitting and address some other issues," Mohammad Abdur Rouf, managing director of DMTCL, told The Daily Star on Tuesday.

"There won't be any major changes. Amendment of the act was proposed to make metro rail operation more effective," he added.

A DMTCL official said the main issue for amendment of the act is related to the construction of the underground metro rail.

The official, wishing to remain anonymous, said although the existing law has mentioned the underground metro rail, it is not enough, so the change is needed.

The main issue for amendment of the act is related to the construction of the underground metro rail. The existing law is not clear about how the right of the land would be settled. So, the change is needed. — A DMTCL official.

For example, he said a major portion of MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5 (northern route) will go underground. However, the existing law is not clear about how the right of the land would be settled. Thus the amendment is needed.

Settling this issue, through the amendment of the law, was a condition of JICA, the financier of both projects, another DMTCL official said.

Besides, some other issues like penalties linked with the operation of metro rail will be added in the amended law, he added.

Nafiul Hasan, additional secretary (urban transport wing) of the Road Transport and Highways Division, said "We have received a proposal, but are yet to review it. We will take the next step upon review."

The Uttara-Motijheel section of the MRT Line-6, which is being implemented at a cost of Tk 33,472 crores, was opened to the public in November last year and the Motijheel-Kamalapur section is now under construction.

The physical work on MRT Line-1 and Line-5 (northern route) began in March and July last year respectively, more than three years after the projects were approved in October 2019.

The project authorities of MRT Line-1, the country's first underground metro rail line, have so far been able to hire contractors for only one out of 12 packages. The project deadline is set for December 2026.

Under the Tk 52,561 crore project, the authority will build a 19.87km underground line from Dhaka airport to Kamalapur and an 11.37km elevated line from Dhaka's Natunbazar to Narayangan's Pitalganj.

Similarly, the project authority of MRT Line-5 (northern route) has so far hired contractors for only one out of 10 packages. The 20km line stretching from Hemayetpur to Bhatara will have underground and elevated sections. The deadline for the Tk 41,239 crore project is December 2028.

The authorities of MRT Lines 1 and 5 are now developing land for setting up depots.​