Bus rapid transit in Airport-Gazipur route to be launched
Monday, 11 April 2011
FE Report
The first ever higher passenger-capacity bus service will be introduced in the Airport-Gazipur corridor in the greater Dhaka with articulated buses, overpasses and underpasses. A study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said this Sunday at a workshop on 'greater Dhaka sustainable urban transport corridor project' at a city hotel. The study team said the service called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) would be able to transport 100,000 passengers in the 20-kilometre (km) corridor daily for which a terminal, a depot, 31 bus stations, two flyovers and five overpasses at intersections would be constructed for uninterrupted movement of buses. To implement the pilot BRT project, US$ 190 million will be spent of which ADB is expected to provide $125 million, they added. Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain inaugurated the workshop where he said: "Apart from Airport-Gazipur corridor, the government has also taken steps to introduce the second BRT service in the Airport-Sayedabad corridor to help bus passengers cross the area speedily and without traffic jam." He said some 50 articulated buses will soon be brought to the country for plying in the mass transit system. The minister said the government is quite serious in reducing traffic congestion significantly and its various measures like the elevated expressway, Banani flyover-overpass, Mayor Hanif flyover, metro rail etc have been taken to make the city free of traffic gridlock. He said to coordinate the road network by way of the mass transport, a special overseeing body would be formed called Dhaka Mass Transport Authority. The minister said the government and the ADB would sign a loan agreement for the pilot BRT project in next January. Road and rail secretary M Mozammel Haque Khan, chief engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) M Shahabuddin, ADB urban transport expert David Margonsztern and project director Aminur Rahman Laskar spoke on the occasion. The BRT service has been planned from the airport railway station to Gazipur Chourasta (intersection) with the stations at the median points. Special arrangements like underpasses would be there for the passengers' access to the bus stations easily and safely. Stations between the Joydevpur intersection and the proposed Gazipur depot will have a grade-signalised access. The study team said after the implementation of the project, the public transport system would see improvement with a significant shift from dependence on private vehicles as well as overall infrastructure development.
The first ever higher passenger-capacity bus service will be introduced in the Airport-Gazipur corridor in the greater Dhaka with articulated buses, overpasses and underpasses. A study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said this Sunday at a workshop on 'greater Dhaka sustainable urban transport corridor project' at a city hotel. The study team said the service called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) would be able to transport 100,000 passengers in the 20-kilometre (km) corridor daily for which a terminal, a depot, 31 bus stations, two flyovers and five overpasses at intersections would be constructed for uninterrupted movement of buses. To implement the pilot BRT project, US$ 190 million will be spent of which ADB is expected to provide $125 million, they added. Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain inaugurated the workshop where he said: "Apart from Airport-Gazipur corridor, the government has also taken steps to introduce the second BRT service in the Airport-Sayedabad corridor to help bus passengers cross the area speedily and without traffic jam." He said some 50 articulated buses will soon be brought to the country for plying in the mass transit system. The minister said the government is quite serious in reducing traffic congestion significantly and its various measures like the elevated expressway, Banani flyover-overpass, Mayor Hanif flyover, metro rail etc have been taken to make the city free of traffic gridlock. He said to coordinate the road network by way of the mass transport, a special overseeing body would be formed called Dhaka Mass Transport Authority. The minister said the government and the ADB would sign a loan agreement for the pilot BRT project in next January. Road and rail secretary M Mozammel Haque Khan, chief engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) M Shahabuddin, ADB urban transport expert David Margonsztern and project director Aminur Rahman Laskar spoke on the occasion. The BRT service has been planned from the airport railway station to Gazipur Chourasta (intersection) with the stations at the median points. Special arrangements like underpasses would be there for the passengers' access to the bus stations easily and safely. Stations between the Joydevpur intersection and the proposed Gazipur depot will have a grade-signalised access. The study team said after the implementation of the project, the public transport system would see improvement with a significant shift from dependence on private vehicles as well as overall infrastructure development.