Dhaka circular rail: Worth the investment?
A South Korean consortium has started its study to assess whether it would invest on a project for building a circular railway around the capital, under a public private partnership (PPP) initiative.
Apart from technical and financial feasibility studies, it would also prepare a step-by-step plan on how to progress with the project and which portion of the railway should be prioritised, officials said.
Operations of the study started in October and will take nine months to complete, they added.
Representatives of the consortium took part in a meeting with Bangladesh Railway (BR) officials on Monday and shared different aspects of the project.
The development came after BR completed a feasibility study for building the circular railway to ease traffic congestion on city roads.
The project, which the railway study says will take six years to complete and is estimated to cost USD 8.37 billion, is likely to provide more efficient commutes both for people in the capital and those from surrounding districts coming into the city.
However, some transport experts found the project highly ambitious, saying that its effectiveness depends on many factors -- including proper integration with other transport modes, and effective operation.
The circular rail will run along the existing inner ring road of the capital and a part of Narayanganj district, and it will be 80.89 kilometres long.
The proposed route is Bishwa Ijtema Ground-Uttara-Dhaka Zoo-Gabtoli- Mohammadpur-Sadarghat-Postagola-Fatullah-Chashara-Adamjee-Demra-Trimohoni-Purbachal-Tongi.
The rail network will have 24 stations -- 11 of which will have interchange facilities with the metro rail, dedicated bus services, and Sadarghat launch terminal.
Around 10km of the rail track will be underground, while the rest will be elevated; three of the stations will be underground, and the remaining 21 elevated.
In the first Bangladesh-South Korea Joint PPP meeting in July 2019, the government placed the project and proposed its implementation under a government-to-government partnership with South Korea.
Then a consortium of three Korean companies -- SK Ecoplant, GS E&C, and Korea National Railway -- was selected to be a possible investor in January 2020.
WHAT THE INVESTOR SAYS
As per meeting documents, the possible investor hired renowned Korean companies, including Dohwa Engineering Company Ltd, for carrying out the technical and financial assessment.
BR had planned to complete the work in two phases, prioritising the Termukh-Demra route, which will run for 59km and have 20 stations.
But the investor considered dividing the project into four phases, prioritising the 22.3km Termukh-Gabtoli route, which will have eight stations, shows the document.
As per the BR study, the depot would be established at Demra with a stabling yard at Termukh. But the investor is considering building the depot at Termukh.
"They have started their study to assess whether they would invest in the project under PPP," a top BR official told The Daily Star yesterday.
If everything goes in line with both parties, a contract will be signed to start the construction work. This will take some more time, the official said.
BR Director General Dhirendra Nath Mazumder yesterday said the Korean side has expressed interest to invest in the project, but many things need to be done before starting construction.
"So, it is not possible to say when physical work will start," he told this newspaper yesterday.
Transport expert Prof Shamsul Hoque said the government is planning on building a circular road on the same corridor selected for building the circular railway.
Besides, the government is building several metro rail lines, which would also connect the city's peripheries. "Have the authorities considered the circular rail's actual utility, taking all these factors in mind?" he questioned.
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