The government has planned to build monorail and metro rail-based mass transit systems - along with expressway networks and integrated multimodal transport arrangements, with a focus on road, rail, waterway, and air connectivity - in the upcoming FY27 fiscal year.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, in his budget speech on Thursday, proposed Tk 607.30 billion allocations to implement various transport projects, proposing the use of technology in traffic management and overload control considering the importance of trade, commerce, supply chains, and the related economic activities in the country.
Allocations for this sector in the revised FY26 budget were Tk 482.92 billion.
"The government is working on developing a safe, modern, technology-driven, and environmentally-sustainable road network," the minister told parliament, adding that plans had been made to build integrated, modern, and sustainable road and public transport systems.
The total budget for the Road Transport and Highways Division, under which the Roads and Highways Department will implement 103 projects, has been proposed at Tk 369.18 billion.
For the Bridges Division, Tk 29.08 billion has been proposed.
Moreover, Tk 99.40 billion has been proposed for the railways ministry, Tk 90.80 billion for the shipping ministry, and Tk 18.84 billion for the civil aviation ministry.
Khosru said 103 development projects were under implementation to develop highways and regional corridors, including important four-lane corridors, 3,000 kilometres of expressway networks, including Dhaka and Chattogram expressways, and to fix the poor state of roads under public-private partnership.
He said initiatives had been taken to enact the Metropolitan Transport Authority Act, introduce metro rail-based feeder services, and adopt transit-oriented development plans.
Regarding efficient traffic management and axle load control to ensure road safety, he said initiatives had been taken to prepare technical manuals, promote the use of electric vehicles, including e-buses, by withdrawing the old buses, introduce an automated fitness certification system, and provide training for nearly 550,000 professional drivers.
The Dhaka-Chattogram chord line development project, shifting inland container depots to Dhirasram, introducing commuter train services within cities, and unifying various gauges were also highlighted in the budget speech.
Khosru also underscored the government's measures to ensure a safe, affordable, and uninterrupted water transport system by developing sea and land port infrastructure, enhancing container and cargo handling capacity, and improving and maintaining inland waterways.
smunima@yahoo.com
