Can MRT be the solution to Dhaka's traffic congestion?

Mass rapid transit system (MRT) is a public transportation system similar to trains, buses, ferries and others, which can be used to facilitate commuting of a large number of passengers on a non-reserved basis and in lesser time. Rapid transit is an important form of mass transit such as subways and surface light rail systems designed for inter-city or intra-city commute. It is potentially economic, eco-friendly and less time consuming. It is recognisably the most competent way of reducing the ever growing traffic congestion in big cities.
According to the Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP), 2016, Dhaka's city dwellers make around 30 million trips every day. Of them, some 47 per cent are through buses, 32 per cent are made in rickshaws, while nine per cent are carried out by private cars that occupy 76 per cent of the streets. Public transports use seven per cent of roads.
STRATEGIC TRANSPORT PLAN (STP): Dhaka city, which has a population of around 17 million with a density of 47,400 people per square kilometres, remains the most densely populated city on earth for the third consecutive year. It is also one of the most traffic congested cities in the world, according to international research. To address this situation, the government of Bangladesh (GOB) formulated the first Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka (STP) in 2005 in cooperation with the World Bank (WB). The STP was revised in August 2016 extending its implementation time from 2015 to 2035. The latest extension included several large expressways, metro rail, circular ring roads and circular waterway project. Though the original Strategic Transport Plan recommended three MRT lines and three BRT lines, the RSTP recommended five metro rails and two rapid bus (BRT) service systems to cover Dhaka city and adjoining districts.
The revised STP focused on the urgent implementation of two projects. The first is the construction of a new highway from Baorbhita of Munshiganj to Kaikartek in Narayanganj before the Padma Bridge is opened to traffic. Secondly, completion of a road from the eastern side of the Balu river to the western side of Dhaka Bypass before construction of MRT Line-1 initiates. The Mass Rapid Transport Line-1 will connect Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur, and later be extended to Gazipur and to Keraniganj Jhilmil Residential Area. The new STP has also recommended the construction of five more expressways: Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, Dhaka-Chattogram Expressway, Dhaka-Sylhet Expressway, Dhaka-Mawa Expressway and Dhaka-Mymensingh Expressway. Besides the MRT and BRT lines, RSTP also proposed construction of three ring roads -- inner, middle, outer and eight other roads -- Dhaka-Joydevpur, Dhaka-Tongi-Ghorashal, Dhaka-Purbachal-Bhulta, Dhaka-Kanchpur-Meghna Bridge, Dhaka-Signboard-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Jhilmil-Ekuria, Dhaka-Aminbazar-Savar, and Dhaka-Ashulia-DEPZ. Once all five metro rail systems (MRT) are completed, it is expected, according to experts, that the MRT system will partially resolve the city's horrendous traffic problem by providing modern, comfortable, environment-friendly and time-bound transport service. As per the recommendations in the Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP), after completion of the maiden metro line MRT-6 by the end of 2020, the other four metro rail systems will be constructed in second and third phases by the year 2035. The RSTP covers greater Dhaka city, Gazipur, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, and Narshingdi districts.
MASS RAPID TRANSIT LINE 6 (MRT-6): MRT Line-6 is being implemented by Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project and Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) under the Road Transport and Highways Division of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT-6) is an elevated metro rail system that will run from Uttara to Motijheel serving 16 stations along the way. The project is jointly financed by the government of Bangladesh and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In 2012, Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the MRT Line-6 project. A loan agreement between Bangladesh Government and JICA was signed in January 2013. In order to plan, conduct surveys, design, finance, construct, maintain and operate metro rails in Dhaka, a fully government owned company named Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited was established on June 03, 2013. The General Consultant (GC) commenced work from February 2014. The Metro Rail Act was approved by Parliament in January 2015.
Each train, with six coaches, will carry up to 1,800 passengers and is projected to serve more than 60,000 passengers per hour by 2021, with waiting times of approximately four minutes. The entire route will be able to be travelled in less than 40 minutes at an average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). Thus, the MRT is expected to drastically reduce the number of private cars on Dhaka's streets as well as their potentially seven-hour-long standstills. The metro rail would be noise-free and have vibration-free lines. The coaches would be made of stainless steel and aluminium alloy. It plans to use magnetic contactless Integrated Circuit Ticketing commonly also known as smart cards. At the platform level, there will be platform screening door (PSD) barriers to increase safety and efficiency. The project is being implemented under eight contact packages (CP) namely CP-01 (Depot Land Development), CP-02 (Depot Civil & Buildings), CP-03, CP-04 (Viaduct & Stations, Uttara-Agargaon), CP-05, CP-06 (Viaduct & Stations, Agargaon-Motijheel), CP-07 (Electro-Mechanical Systems) and CP-08 (Rolling Stock & Depot Equipment). Utility relocation from Mirpur-10 to Agargaon has been completed. Other surveys have already been completed during the period of 2014 - October 2016 as mentioned by the project director Topographic Survey, Traffic Survey, Geotechnical Survey, Right of Way (ROW) Survey, Historical Importance/Archaeological (HIA) Survey, Environmental Baseline (EBL) Survey, Soil Electric Resistivity (SER) Survey and Utility Verification Survey. The construction of the three-km viaduct and three stations from Agargaon to Karwan Bazar began in August of 2018. At the same time, the construction of the five-km viaduct and four stations from Karwan Bazar to Motijheel has also been initiated.
MASS RAPID TRANSIT LINE 1(MRT-1): MRT Line-1 will be divided into two routes namely Airport route and Purbachal route. The Airport route will run from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Airport Terminal-3, Khilkhet, Jamuna Future Park, Notun Bazar, North Badda, Badda, Hatirjheel, Rampura, Malibagh, Rajarbagh to Kamalapur. This 16.5 Kilometres long underground section will have 12 Stations. The Notun Bazar Station will have an inter-connection with the MRT Line-5.
The Purbachal section of MRT Line-1 will run from Notun Bazar to Bashundhara via Jamuna Future Park to Police Officer's Housing Society, Mastul, Purbachal West, Purbachal Centre, Purbachal Sector-7 to Purbachal Terminal. This 10-kilometer section will have nine stations including the underground Notun Bazar and Jamuna Future Park stations belonging to the Airport route. The Bashundhara to Purbachal section will be elevated and will have Seven (7) stations. When completed by 2026, the metro line's construction cost has been roughly estimated to be around Tk 500 billion.
MASS RAPID TRANSIT LINE 5 (MRT-5): The 41km metro line-5 comprises of two routes. The northern one is expected to be completed by 2027 and the southern by 2030. The 20-km northern route is proposed to stretch from Hemayetpur of Savar to Bhatara through Baliarpur, Amin Bazar, Gabtoli, Dar-Us-Salam, Mirpur, Kachukhet, Banani, Gulshan and Natun Bazar with a total of 14 stations, of which nine will be underground and the rest elevated. Preparation of a draft project document for the northern route is underway. Meanwhile, a loan agreement for engineering assistance was signed in June 2018. The metro rail authorities have given a proposal for hiring engineering service consultants to carry out feasibility studies. On the other hand, a pre-feasibility study on the 21km southern route began in May 2018 with loans from a development partner. The southern route stretching from Gabtoli to Bhulta is set to be completed by 2030. The route alignment, number of stations, location of depot, and underground and elevated sections of this route will be determined through the pre-feasibility study. The possible stretch of the route will go through Technical intersection, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Russel Square, Panthapath, Sonargaon, Hatirjheel, Rampura, Aftab Nagar, Dasher Kandi, Baralu Bazar and Ganga Nagar, before terminating in Bhulta.
MASS RAPID TRANSIT LINE 2 (MRT-2): The 24km- metro line-2 is proposed to stretch from Gabtoli to Chattogram road across embankment road (beri bandh), Basila, Mohammadpur, Satmasjid Road, Jhigatola, Science Laboratory, New Market, Azimpur, Palashi, Dhaka Medical College, Golap Shah Mazar, Banga Bhaban, Motijheel, Arambagh, Kamalapur, Mugda, Manda, and Demra. Following a memorandum of understanding with the government of Japan in June and a follow-up meeting in December 2017 and another meeting in June of last year, the Bangladesh government made a proposal to the Japan government in July this year for technical assistance to carry out the pre-feasibility study of this metro route.
MASS RAPID TRANSIT LINE 4 (MRT-4): This 16-km underground metro line will stretch from Kamalapur to Narayanganj along the Dhaka-Narayanganj railway track. With the number of stations still unspecified, the government is looking for a prospective development partner to conduct the feasibility study and develop the transport facility.
CONCLUSION: The maiden MRT line (MRT line-6) is being implemented in Bangladesh by overcoming so many challenges and impediments. City-dwellers are eagerly waiting for its timely completion and launch. The connectivity and easy access at the starting point at Diabari, Uttara and end point at Motijheel is very essential. However, constructing and launching the MRT lines cannot be the only solution for Dhaka. An integrated transport network is required along with improved road networks and digital traffic/transport management system. Maximum benefit from the MRT system can be reaped only when all the metro lines along with other projects are completed in time as outlined in the revised STP. A comprehensive and visionary transport policy is also necessary to address Dhaka's traffic congestion. Timely implementation of the proposals of the revised STP to develop the capital's internal road network, ease congestion and build a planned and coordinated modern mass transportation system should be taken care off with utmost attention.

Dr Md Moniruzzaman is an Associate Professor at the Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management. [email protected]