Feasibility study on metro-rail system
Thursday, 16 October 2008
IT was recently published in the print media that the government will undertake Tk 100 million feasibility study on a metro-rail system for the capital. It may begin in December next.
The study they say is a prelude to building an appropriate rail system that will include up to 60 kilometres of subway and elevated rail which will be able to transport 44,000 people an hour. The system will be constructed on a build-operate-own-transfer (BOOT) basis
This is a piece of great news indeed. Let us hope the study is not put into the cold storage after its completion. It will take something like one year and a half to complete the feasibility study.
We are told that the average speed of traffic in Dhaka is just five kilometres per hour. I do not doubt it. It crawls actually unless it is at a standstill. This is unbelievable and quite unacceptable. It is the most frustrating and exasperating thing that can be.
The government, that is, its different bodies, took an awful lot of time deciding who would fund the study. Finally, they said the government could spend the money from its own funds.
Just declaring the capital as this or that is not sufficient. The demolition of the RANGS building and constructing a road to connect Bijoy Sarani with Tejgaon will be but a small step to bring this serious problem under control. We need something much more dynamic. This can only be done if we are able to divert the traffic (or commuters, if you like) through other modes of travel like underground and over-ground rail.
Rokeya Sultana
Paribagh
Dhaka
The study they say is a prelude to building an appropriate rail system that will include up to 60 kilometres of subway and elevated rail which will be able to transport 44,000 people an hour. The system will be constructed on a build-operate-own-transfer (BOOT) basis
This is a piece of great news indeed. Let us hope the study is not put into the cold storage after its completion. It will take something like one year and a half to complete the feasibility study.
We are told that the average speed of traffic in Dhaka is just five kilometres per hour. I do not doubt it. It crawls actually unless it is at a standstill. This is unbelievable and quite unacceptable. It is the most frustrating and exasperating thing that can be.
The government, that is, its different bodies, took an awful lot of time deciding who would fund the study. Finally, they said the government could spend the money from its own funds.
Just declaring the capital as this or that is not sufficient. The demolition of the RANGS building and constructing a road to connect Bijoy Sarani with Tejgaon will be but a small step to bring this serious problem under control. We need something much more dynamic. This can only be done if we are able to divert the traffic (or commuters, if you like) through other modes of travel like underground and over-ground rail.
Rokeya Sultana
Paribagh
Dhaka