Home ›› 09 Jun 2022 ›› Opinion
Metro Rail is the fastest and most popular means of urban communication in many countries. Dhaka is one of the most populous mega cities globally with a population of more than two crores. The Metro Rail project is a timely and strategic step to alleviate the traffic problems of Dhaka city.
The people of Dhaka city are in dire straits due to the non-availability of buses during peak hours, overcrowding, stoppages at short distances, abuse by bus staff, etc. Taxis and CNG were the alternatives to buses. But the extra fare is forbidding for many. The World Bank estimates show that 32 lakh working hours are lost every day in the capital due to traffic congestion.
Metro Rail will be a very convenient means of transportation for the people of Dhaka city. At present, it often takes two and a half hours to travel from Uttara to Motijheel. But with the Metro Rail it will take only 36 minutes. Metro Rail will be able to carry 60 thousand passengers per hour and half a million passengers per day and one train will arrive at each station every four minutes. Metro Rail will be able to transport more passengers in less time. This will significantly reduce the use of smaller vehicles. The use of fossil fuels and will be greatly reduced. Working hours of the city people will be saved. The saved working hours can be used for the socio-economic development of the country. Traffic congestion will be greatly reduced. The project will save Tk. 200 billion a year, equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 17 per cent of the total tax revenue. Since metro rail is fully electric, no fossil fuel will be used. As a result, there is no chance of air pollution. There will be a Mass Spring System (MSS) under the Railway Track of Metro Rail. Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) will be used. There will be sound barrier walls on both sides of the viaduct of the flying Metrorail. As a result, noise and vibration levels in Metro Rail will be well below the norm. It will not contribute to the overall environmental pollution but will play a significant role in ecological development.
To facilitate the movement of female passengers in Metrorail, one coach of each train will be reserved for female passengers only. The train will be able to carry a maximum of 390 female passengers at a time. Women passengers can also travel in other coaches if they wish. Metro stations have separate bathrooms for female passengers and special facilities for taking care of their babies. Seats will be reserved inside the coaches of the metro train for pregnant women and elderly passengers. There will be ticket booths at relatively low altitudes so that wheelchair users and short people can easily collect tickets through Ticket Office Machine (TOM). Similarly, wheelchair users will be able to collect their tickets automatically using Ticket Vending Machine (TVM). Wheelchair users will have easy access to the paid zone and a wide gate for automatic fare adjustment in keeping with the wheelchair for exit. There will be grip handles inside the elevator, control panels at low altitudes, and mirrors to understand your position to make it easier for people with special needs to get on and off the elevator.
Hard-of-hearing passengers will be able to travel comfortably in metro stations and metro trains by following the digital guidelines. A yellow tactical trail will be provided to facilitate the use of white sticks for blind passengers in the metro station. There will be identification marks on platforms and metro trains for easy access to toilets, elevators and priority seats. There will be audio and visual information systems in the station area and inside the metro train. With this system, passengers with special needs, like other passengers will be able to travel on the metro train by listening and watching easily. Sophisticated airbag suspension is being added under the metro coach to keep the floor of the metro train coach and the surface of the station platform at the same level to prevent passengers from slipping and facilitating the use of wheelchairs and sticks for the visually impaired. The exterior of the metro coach and the space between the platforms will be kept open in such a way that the passengers can get on and off the metro train safely and easily.
Metro rail will usher in a new era of technological advancement to the people. In developed countries, an integrated route system has been created by combining metro rail and other means of public transportation so that people can travel to their destination with just one payment card. This system is already being made in Metrorail in Bangladesh. The system can be gradually extended to all types of public transport. It will help bring digitalization to the country's transportation system as well as slowly move towards a cashless economy.
With the launch of Metrorail, the population density of Dhaka city can be reduced. People can stay out of town at a very low cost by renting a house and can quickly come to Dhaka for official and other purposes. For example, people living in Gazipur, Keranigonj, and Narayanganj areas can go to the main city in less than an hour once all the routes are completed. Each Metro Rail route has the potential to expand in the future. Thus, the entire transit system can be extended to nearby cities. People currently living in these areas can also join the workforce in the main city without having to live there.
Moreover, many commercial developments will occur, and fares and prices of facilities around the route will increase. Second, residential buildings will be rebuilt for commercial convenience. As a result, people living in those areas will be forced to move to less high-rent accommodation and eventually, people will be decentralized from the main city.
The operation and maintenance of the metro rail will require a lot of workforce, which will create huge employment opportunities in the country. Each metro railway station will have an operating room, ticket counter, lounge, waste management plant, prayer place, fire extinguishing system, escalator, elevator, etc. In addition, a group of workers will be required to conduct business in the commercial centres around the stations. These jobs will increase financial activity and ultimately contribute to the national economy.
Each metro station will have stairs, elevators and escalators to reach the concourse level. These stairs, elevators and escalators can only be used to cross the street with Concourse Levels during the Metro Train movement. However, you cannot go to paid zone areas and platforms. Pedestrians will be able to use this arrangement for road crossings as an additional opportunity for foot over bridges.
Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) System has been introduced to control the first metro rail of Bangladesh and ensure safety of passengers. This includes Automatic Train Operation (ATO), Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) and Moving Block System (MBS). Synchronized Platform Screen Door (PSD) and Train Door and Internet Protocol (IP) Camera System are included for the safety of passengers traveling in Metro Trains. Automatic Sprinkler and Water Hydrant have been added to the metro station, route alignment and metro train as firefighting measures. Above all, a separate specialized MRT Police Force has been formed to ensure the safe passage of passengers on the Metro Rail.
It can be said without hesitation that Metro Rail is the dream project that will transform Dhaka city from its current state to a modern cosmopolitan. It is only a matter of time before we enter the developed world. If continuous development continues then that time is not far away. Metro Rail, an essential part of that golden future of developed metropolitan Dhaka, is a reality today.
The writer is a freelance contributor. He can be contacted at gmhirak@gmail.com
