Bangladesh News Bangladesh Economy & Development

[Isa Khan]

The Planning Commission is considering moving forward with MRT Line-2 instead of MRT Line-5 Southern Route to serve the densely populated Old Dhaka.

The MRT-5 Southern Route would link Gabtoli to Dasherkandi, while the Line-2 would link Gabtoli to Narayanganj with a branch through Old Dhaka to Sadarghat.

The new route is expected to serve a much larger urban population and thus address critical transit needs in key areas of the city.

According to planning officials, in addition to constructing MRT-2, several other proposals are under consideration.

These include the possibility of scrapping the MRT Line-5 project entirely or only implementing certain sections of the route, they said.

These proposals were developed at the directive of the planning adviser, they said, adding that the government will review them before giving any approval.

The MRT-5 is still under review by the commission, awaiting final approval, said the officials.

According to the commission, none of the current metro projects connect Old Dhaka, but MRT Line-2 would address this gap by linking Gabtoli through Old Dhaka to Narayanganj, thereby serving a densely populated area.

Besides, the Dasherkandi route of MRT-5 lacks significant commercial activity, prompting the commission to prioritise MRT Line-2 for its greater economic impact.

MRT Line-2's main route would span from Gabtoli through areas like Dhaka Uddyan, Mohammadpur, Jhigatola, Science Laboratory, New Market, Azimpur, Palashi, Dhaka Medical College, Gulistan, Motijheel, Kamalapur, Manda, Dakhingaon, Dhamripara, Signboard, Bhuighar, Jalkuri, eventually connecting to Narayanganj.

A branch line from Gulistan would extend to Sadarghat, although the feasibility study for this route is yet to be completed.

According to the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the construction of the 35km MRT Line-2 is estimated to cost Tk60,837 crore, with final costs to be determined after the feasibility study.

In April, the Planning Commission held a review meeting on the DPP (Development Project Proposal) regarding MRT Line-5 (Southern Route).

The 17.2km route from Gabtoli to Dasherkandi is expected to cost Tk54,618 crore, with the Asian Development Bank and South Korea agreeing to finance Tk39,138 crore. The remaining Tk15,481 crore is expected to come from the government.

One alternative proposal suggests dropping the Gabtoli to Karwan Bazar section of MRT-5 Southern Route while adding a branch line from MRT-2 to Bijoy Sarani.

Another proposal involves constructing only the Karwan Bazar to Dasherkandi portion, while another alternative suggests scrapping the entire MRT-5 Southern Route project for now and reconsidering it when economic conditions improve.

Now focus is on linking Old Dhaka with metro

MRT-2 route plan has a branch line from Gulistan extended to Sadarghat

www.tbsnews.net

 

[Isa Khan]

Walton Digi-Tech Industries Limited and Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a three-year partnership aimed at promoting research, cooperation, innovation and technological advancement.

According to an ISPR release issued today (25 September), this strategic collaboration will focus on extending the basis for friendship and cooperative exchanges between the two parties with a particular emphasis on research and innovation (R&I) projects.

It said Walton Digi-Tech and MIST will work together on various initiatives to develop and exchange ideas in areas of mutual interest under the terms of the MoU.

The partnership aims to enhance access to smart technology in educational institutions, provide cutting-edge tools along with resources as well as technical training, workshop, industrial visit and scholarships to students and researchers, which will drive future technological growth in Bangladesh, it added.

The agreement marked an important step in fostering mutual cooperation, empowering both organizations to contribute to the nation's research ecosystem and promote the widespread adoption of smart technology in education system, the release said.

MIST signs MoU with Walton for research, innovation

Walton Digi-Tech and MIST will work together on various initiatives to develop and exchange ideas in areas of mutual interest under the terms of the MoU

www.tbsnews.net

With the interim government re-evaluating several development projects, including the mega projects, the 28-kilometre Ramu-Gundum portion of the Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail link project is getting cancelled.

No economic benefit will come from the Ramu-Gundum railway line as Bangladesh’s relationship with Myanmar is not so good.

This is why, the Bangladesh Railway is set to prune the Ramu-Gundum portion from this project, saving the country Tk6,682 crore.

Under the 128-kilometer Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail link project, the construction of 100-kilometer rail line from Chattogram’s Dohazari to Ramu in Cox’s Bazar has already been finished.

The Bangladesh Railway started implementing the project in June 2010 to connect Cox’s Bazar with the rail network along with the Trans-Asian Railway corridor at a projected cost of Tk18,034 crore.

Railway sources said beyond Gundum, there is only mountainous terrain in the Myanmar part and the Southeast Asian country has no plan to construct a railway track in that region, leading the government to take fresh decision to cancel the 28-kilometre portion.

Md Hadiuzzaman, a transport expert and professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told the Daily Sun, “There was a significant flaw in the planning of this project. It was inflated under the guise of Trans-Asian Railway corridor with Myanmar.”

“However, for an international corridor to be established, it’s crucial to consider geopolitical strategy and the nature of the relationship with the involved country. In this case, Bangladesh’s relationship with Myanmar has been strained. This reflects the short-sightedness of railway officials, the flaws in project planning, and a failure to consider the geographical-political dynamics with Myanmar,” he added.

When asked about the reduction in additional costs, Director of Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar Railway Project Md Suboktagin told the Daily Sun, “After the new government assumed office, a directive was given to review this project. As a result, the project’s cost is decreasing by Tk6,682 crore.”

“However, this reduction is not solely due to the exclusion of the 28-kilometre railway track from Ramu to Gundum, there are many other reasons why the cost has decreased,” he stated.

On 6 July 2010, this project was initiated for the construct of a 100.8km single dual-gauge track from Dohazari to Cox’s Bazar and an additional 28.75km single line from Ramu to Gundum, near the Myanmar border.

After several time extensions, the project is now scheduled for completion by October 2025.

However, the construction work is supposed to be finished by October 2024, with the remaining year designated as the defect liability period.

In December last year, train service began on the Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail route. Currently, only three pairs of trains operate on this route, with two pairs running between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar, and one pair between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.

However, the project proposal originally claimed that the Bangladesh Railway would serve at least 50% of all tourists traveling to Cox’s Bazar from across the country once the project is implemented.

It was estimated that passenger transport in the first year would generate revenue of Tk392 crore, with an additional Tk50 crore from freight transports.

In the project proposal, it was also outlined that 46 trains would be able to operate on this route. However, only three pairs of trains are currently operating on this route.

Commenting on this issue, Md Suboktagin told the Daily Sun, “There is not enough manpower to operate more trains on this route. A proposal has been submitted seeking additional manpower. Moreover, there is a shortage of coaches and locomotives, making it difficult to operate more trains to Cox’s Bazar, even if we wanted to.”

Government to scrap Ramu-Gundum rail link project

With the interim government re-evaluating several development projects, including the mega projects, the 28-kilometre Ramu-Gundum portion of the Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar rail link project is getting cancelled.

www.daily-sun.com