Will partial operation ease gridlock?

The first metro rail of Bangladesh is all set to go into operation in Dhaka from Wednesday, aiming to give the city’s commuters some much-needed relief from the nagging traffic jams they face every day.

According to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL), it will be a fast, safe, reliable, air-conditioned, time-saving, electrically-operated and environment-friendly modern public transport system and it will help reduce gridlocks across the capital and adjoining areas.

However, the question remains — how much the passengers will benefit from the partial opening of MRT Line-6 from Uttara to Agargaon?

The 21-km route up to Kamalapur is scheduled to open in 2025 while all six MRT routes planned for the city will not be operational before 2030.

DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique said the city’s whole public transport scene will change completely once all six metro lines come into operation.

But for the time being, the opening of the 11.73-km Uttara-Agargaon section will help reduce traffic congestion a bit and ensure speedy and hassle-free journeys for commuters, he said.

However, transport experts have expressed fears that people may not enjoy the full benefits of this portion due to some complexities. It will be tough for metro rail to gain popularity until Line-6 becomes operational on at least a 20.10-km line up to Motijheel.

Renowned transport expert Dr Md Shamsul Hoque told The Business Post that it will take time to know how this partial operation will benefit the commuters. “Immediately after inauguration, the city dwellers will take emotional trips. When people choose this as the primary mode of transport, traffic jams will reduce on the streets in those areas.

“But if the government fails to cut the use of small vehicles, this attraction will lose appeal again because this train won’t take passengers to their homes. People will still need to take rickshaws, buses or ride-sharing vehicles to go home from the stations,” he said.

He also predicted that the entry and exit points of the stations will be jam-packed. “The stations will be congestion hotspots and will create bottlenecks as the roads have not been widened. There is no adequate space for drop zones for the vehicles. Footpaths are also narrow.”

“So, partial development may not provide the complete scenario. We will have to wait to see the final results,” he added.

According to DMTCL officials, Line-6 will carry 60,000 passengers every hour and 5,00,000 passengers every day once it’s fully operational. Each one-way train with six coaches will be able to carry 2,308 passengers, stopping at 16 stations between Uttara and Motijheel every 38 minutes.

As the trains can transport a large number of passengers in a short time, this will greatly reduce the use of small vehicles, they said, adding that a different dimension and speed will be added to the transport system and the working hours of city dwellers will be saved.

DMTCL said a recently conducted study has found that after the launch of MRT Line-6, about Tk 8.38 crore will be saved in terms of daily Travel Time Cost and about Tk 1.18 crore in terms of Vehicle Operation Cost.

According to a World Bank study, 3.2 million working hours are lost every day in Dhaka due to traffic jams. At present, the average vehicle speed on the city’s streets is less than 7 km per hour and it may stand at 4 km per hour in 2025.

A study by BRAC University’s Institute of Governance and Development also said that the average speed was 21.2 km per hour in 2004.