Chinese firm signs up for building Bangladesh’s first Bus Rapid Transit

A deal has been signed with a Chinese firm for the construction of Bangladesh’s first Bus Rapid Transit in Dhaka.

The Roads and Highways Department has signed China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd for the building of a 16-kilometre transit lane, 32-kilometre pavement and a separate lane for slower vehicles.

The project, worth more than Tk 8 billion, will see a transitway built from Gazipur to Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport.

The BRT is expected to ferry 25,000 passengers, in both directions, every hour once construction is completed in the next 30 months.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque were present at the signing ceremony at a hotel in Dhaka.

Project Director Ekram Ullah then talked about the features of the route – 

>> The entire bus transitway is 20.50 kilometres long. From Uttara to Tongi, there will be a 4-kilometre elevated lane. The remaining 16 kilometres will be underground. 

>> There will be terminals at both ends - Gazipur and the airport – with 25 stations in between. 

>> Buses will leave each station every two to five minutes. The total time for travelling the entire route is 50 minutes.

>> The articulated buses for the lane will be 18 metres long. Fares will be counted with electronic smartcards.