State-run Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has moved to launch another project to establish a bus-based mass transit system from airport to the Mohakhali bus terminal.
The department is going ahead with the plan after getting funding assurances from the World Bank, officials said.
The department has now been working on building the 20-kilometre corridor of bus rapid transit (BRT) from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) -- which is known as BRT North project.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and two other development partners are financing this.
The officials said after getting positive indication from the World Bank, Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has handed over the BRT project to the RHD.
The project is known as BRT South.
This is to ensure coordination with the BRT North, the officials added.
The coordination agency has conducted a feasibility study and detailed design of the BRT line planned to be stretching from the Dhaka airport to Sadarghat.
The World Bank under its Dhaka Urban Transport Improvement Project has provided technical support for the study.
But the funding for implementation of the project was delayed due to some obstacles faced by the coordination agency.
During the study, the BRT south project clashed with Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover and Shantinagar flyover, which blocked the option of the BRT to introduce the dedicated bus lane.
Later, the study team diverted the route up to Jhilmil project at Keraniganj making the project relatively suitable for implementation.
Department officials said the BRT South will be implemented as a separate project with the support of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
As the Dhaka north owns the bus terminal, it will carry out the terminal development work, they added.
Coordination agency officials said the first phase, which is from the airport to the Mohakhali bus terminal is now considered easier to implement.
"This part of BRT needs to be implemented to help thousands of commuters to reach the city from the airport without stopping at any traffic signal," said an official.
The cost of developing the southern corridor of the transit is estimated at Tk 47.48 billion with highest spending for the construction of the Mohakhali bus terminal with a depot.
According to the study findings, the new bus service is likely to ferry over 330,000 passengers daily.
The travel time is estimated to be 58 minutes.
The ADB-funded north line will be 20.2 km long and the travel time is expected to be 53 minutes.
According to the report, the southern part of the line will have 16 stations -- all at the level of roads except two -- Amtali and Mohakhali stations.
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