Proposals have been made in the under-formulation Revised Strategic Transport Plan for greater Dhaka to extend the existing route and two under-construction routes of the metro rail.
It has also proposed to modify the routes of the metro rail that are still in pipeline.聽
An earlier proposal for 鈥榣ight rapid transit鈥� has been ditched in the new draft, said officials of the road transport and bridges ministry involved in drafting the revised strategic plan.
The plan also contains proposals to turn the narrow roads of the capital into one-way, allowing designated space for pedestrians to walk on.
The ministry is now drafting the Revised Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka for the period of 2025鈥�2045, which would cover an area of 1,750 square kilometres in six districts, including Dhaka.
Officials said that for the draft a detailed survey was done in 2023.
The Asian Development Bank and the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific are supporting the ministry with around $3 million in drafting the strategic plan between May 2022 and June 2025.
Dhaka Transport Coordination additional executive director Md Rabiul Alam, who is head of the project undertaken to draft the strategic plan, said that by June this year they would submit a draft of the plan to the council of advisers of the interim government.
The draft would be finalised with inputs from all the stakeholders concerned, he added.
The 20-year urban transportation policy for the Greater Dhaka Area, covering Dhaka, Gazipur, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj and Narshingdi districts, was first formulated in 2005 under a collaboration with the World Bank.
The Strategic Transport Plan underwent revision in 2015 to introduce four metro rail lines known as Mass Rapid Transit lines (1, 2, 4, and 5) and one Bus Rapid Transit line 7. The plan said these lines would be operational by 2035.
Altogether, the road transport ministry is currently implementing a network of six metro rail lines in Dhaka city, covering approximately 129 kilometres.
Of these metro rail lines, at present people are using the MRT line 6, while construction of MRT line 1 and 5 is going on.聽聽
Project director Md Rabiul Alam said that we have proposed to extend the existing metro rail line and modify the routes of the MRT lines which are in pipeline.
As per the draft revised strategic plan, a proposal has been given to extend the existing MRT line 6 on the Motijheel-Uttara section up to Tongi.
The draft also proposes to extend a portion of the MRT line 2 on the Gabtoli to Narayanganj route to touch the old town areas.
Another proposal is given to extend the MRT line 5 (northern route) on the Hemayetpur-Bhatara up to Jalshiri or Bhulta points.