BRT-3 may stretch beyond Dhaka airport

An extension of the Bus Rapid Transit Line-3 beyond Dhaka airport is being considered to further facilitate operations and serve city-bound passengers.

The Road Transport and Highways Division is scheduled to hold a meeting over the issue on May 18; officials from the authorities concerned, including the city corporation and other experts, are expected to join, sources said.

ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, secretary of the Division, however, won't use the word "extension". He said it is actually about finding a place beyond the area to turn away buses operated on the Airport-Gazipur corridor.

The sources, however, said the Division was considering "an extension" of the line after a study, conducted by a financer, suggested that the route be expanded till Mohakhali or another suitable nearby area.

 "The meeting [on May 18] will decide whether the route would be extended or not, and, if extended, how far it would be. Our maximum limit is Mohakhali," said an official, preferring anonymity.

The development came more than around three years after the government dropped its previous plan to extend the line up to Mohakhali with World Bank funding.

After several deadline revisions, the authority now wants to start BRT operations on the 20.50km corridor by this August.

Visiting the project site yesterday, this correspondent found that the work remained incomplete at around 10 points on roads and 25 stations.

Asked, Shafiqul Islam, managing director of Dhaka BRT Company Ltd, said, "We hoped the infrastructure would be ready within two/three months and we would start operation by August.

"However, since the company will not be able to hire an operator before mid-2024, it will engage Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation to operate the buses."

Besides, all stations are unlikely to be ready to provide automated ticket sales at the beginning and 137 buses would not be operational then.

EXPANSION MOVE

The project was originally planned to be completed by December 2016 at a cost of Tk 2,037.9 crore.

The delay was caused by issues relating to land acquisition, relocation of utility services, design changes, contractors running out of money, and the pandemic.

The project cost rose to Tk 4,268.3 crore and the deadline is December 2024.

The 20km line from the airport to Gazipur was actually an extension of the original plan, which was to build the BRT from the airport to Keraniganj's Jhilmil project. Experts often said the partly functional BRT will not give expected outcome.

A study by the French Development Agency, which will give a loan for the BRT operation including procurement of buses, also suggested extending the line.

"People will face problems while heading further into the city after BRT buses leave them at the airport area. So it would help them if buses can go beyond that area," said an official preferring anonymity.

He added that no new road would have to be constructed for the extension, unlike the Airport-Gazipur section, but some other structures including stations would be required.

So they have to carry out a study if the decision is taken to extend the route, he said.