Dhaka circular rail could be a game-changer

It is encouraging to note that a South Korean consortium has started its study to assess whether it would invest in the development of a circular railway around Dhaka, under a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative. Apart from technical and financial feasibility studies, the consortium would prepare a step-by-step plan on how to progress with the project, and which portion of the railway should be prioritised.

According to a previous feasibility study carried out by the Bangladesh Railway (BR), the project will take six years to complete and is estimated to cost USD 8.37 billion (more than Tk 70,000 crore). Meanwhile, it is expected that the circular rail network will greatly reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka, which causes an annual estimated loss of between Tk 20,000 crore and Tk 55,000 crore to the economy. However, according to experts, the effectiveness of the project will depend on many other factors, including integrated services, and without proper coordination between the different agencies involved, such an ambitious project would likely face serious problems.

Given the enormity of the plan, the BR study had suggested breaking down the project into two phases. However, the South Korean consortium has proposed an even more conservative approach, breaking it down into four separate phases. What this suggests is that the project will require significant and careful planning—something we have a rather poor track record of. Arranging the required funds could also prove to be a big challenge, which can also be solved through proper planning. Another major concern is the poor track records of the agencies involved in the project. Therefore, although we would like this project to be fast-tracked, given all these concerns, it is certainly worth asking whether that will be viable.

Nevertheless, the project could potentially make a huge difference to people's mobility in and around Dhaka. By allowing workers and traders from neighbouring districts like Gazipur, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Narsingdi and Tangail to go from one end of the capital to another without having to enter the city, it could potentially be a game-changer in terms of saving people's time and lowering travel costs. Thus, the authorities should look to proceed with the project as soon as possible—having done the necessary work with due diligence.