WB agrees to finance part of BRT as design is changed

Munima Sultana | Published: February 10, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

The World Bank (WB) has finally agreed to consider financing the bus rapid line-3 project as the design was changed to establish one-third of the corridor in the first phase.
Sources said the WB showed its renewed interest in the project after the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) briefed the bank on the change during several meetings in Dhaka and Washington, initially compromising its length.
A WB mission is now visiting the country since February 01 and held a wrap-up meeting with the DTCA.
According to the change, the DTCA will establish the 20-km BRT-3 corridor in three phases.
Though the two other phases are still under conflict, the DTCA plans to start construction of the first phase from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Mohakhali bus stand to cover passengers of another BRT line.
"We have proposed to develop the BRT line from airport to Mohakhali bus stand so that thousands of commuters coming from Gazipur to Airport will be able to come to the city," said executive director Kaikobad when asked about the change.
He said in the revised design, a multi-modal hub will be set up at the existing Mohakhali bus stand to facilitate BRT bus passengers coming from Gazipur suitable modes of transport to go further in the city.
The government is planning to establish a BRT corridor from Gazipur to Jhilmil project in Keraniganj for enabling 30,000 passengers per hour to complete the 40-kilometre (km) journey.
As a part of the plan, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been providing technical support to build half of the corridor from Gazipur to Airport while the WB for the rest, being planned from Airport to Keraniganj.
The ADB's part of the BRT line is now at procurement stage.
Though the WB agreed in principle to finance the second part of the BRT line from airport to Keraniganj on request from the DTCA following completion of the feasibility study and detailed design, it, however, dropped the project from its pipeline due to lack of coordination with related agencies.
The DTCA was asked to coordinate the BRT-3 with two flyover projects in Moghbazar and Shantinagar for removing conflicts with those for getting the WB fund. But the efforts went in vain.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) blocked the BRT corridor from Shantinagar for its plan to construct a flyover from Shantinagar to Mawa road for which some 8.0 kms of the BRT's bus line would have to run through mixed transports.
The Moghbazar flyover project also refused to incorporate dedicated lane for the BRT buses.
The DTCA officials, led by the executive director, met the WB officials in Washington last month and shared the change in the design.
Following a fruitful meeting, the mission came to the city, they added.
The executive director said the DTCA will now conduct further study to establish the corridor in three phases. If necessary, a shuttle bus service will be introduced to facilitate the passengers to go to Farmgate for making the mass transit system a success.
The second phase of the BRT-3 is planned from Mohakhali to Gulistan and the third phase from Gulistan to Jhilmil.
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