Dhaka to get a subway

According to a draft feasibility study, prepared by Spain-based consultancy firm Typsa, a 238km proposed Dhaka subway plan is technically feasible, though urban planners and transport experts have dubbed the plan highly ambitious and expensive. TYPSA has been conducting the feasibility study for the BBA since 2018.

Reportedly, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) undertook a project titled “Feasibility Study for Construction of Subway (Underground Metro) in Dhaka City” in 2017 with an estimated cost of Tk. 315 crore to assess the possibility of such a communication network in Dhaka. Sources from the BBA say that they had started preparing a detailed construction design of one of the 11 routes after receiving government approval. According to officials, the cost of one of the 11 routes is estimated at about $7 billion and initially 24.71 km route from Tongi to Uttara and then to Keraniganj via Dhanmondi will be built. The BBA officials said they had suggested the authorities to include the subway option in the RSTP approved in 2015. They further claim that metro rail, expressway, and bus route rationalization were among other proposed modes to solve the existing transportation problem of the city.

The plan shows the subway tunnel would be built at a depth of 30 meters below the surface. The project officials said that the project is expensive to construct and maintain, but they will make sure the construction process does not cause suffering to the public. In this connection they said that to reduce the viability gap, BBA is planning to build three multi-modal transport hub in Sayedabad, Sadarghat and Tongi.

While the BBA authorities seem upbeat regarding the project, other experts have different opinions. Some reputable urban planning experts of the country believe that the country’s social, financial and geographical realities are not conducive to constructing subway projects. They are of the opinion that the construction, maintenance and operation costs would be three to four times higher than that of the regular modes of transportation.

It needs to be said that subways are prominent features of all major cities across the globe. Many cities are vastly expanding their subway networks to reduce road congestion as well as gasoline consumption. No doubt, there are many challenges to building a subway in densely populated Dhaka, but there are engineering solutions as well. Advanced technology can be used in the construction of such projects. The government would take the final decision concerning the financing of the project, which could be implemented under the public private partnership method or with loans from lenders. This also could be implemented under the government to government financing scheme.

The subway rail network is an underground railway system used to transfer a significant number of commuters within urban and sub-urban areas. Generally built under city streets, the outlying sections of the network may emerge aboveground, turn into regular railways or elevated transit lines. Subway is also known as tube or metro. Traditionally, the metro rail runs underground. Nowadays, the metro is also a combination of underground, aboveground and overhead trains. In the developing countries subways have helped ease the traffic problems to a great extent. Subways run with subsidies from the governments across the world. Despite this, they are built to ensure smooth traffic for the public. Experience in other countries suggests that travelling by subway is inexpensive, convenient, safe and environmentally friendly. In cities where congestion is an issue, subway travel is much quicker than other modes of transportation. In this respect, subways even have the edge over public buses, as they can avoid any street congestion by literally going underneath it. Subway travel also has other conveniences.

While we believe that a subway would go a long way in improving the communication problems of Dhaka, the authorities concerned should be careful about avoiding overlapping it with other modes of transports. Coordination among the agencies is a must for smooth implementation. The cost factor should also be taken into account. If experts agree that the country can afford it financially, subways are the way to go.

Before going for a large infrastructure project like subway costing nearly $80 billion, the government must conduct financial feasibility of the project. Costing $7 billion for each of 11 routes means huge financial burden for the government. Who will fund the project is a prime question while debt-service liability another pertinent issue. Do we have that much capacity to bear the debt burden of such magnitude?

No arguing that we need a robust urban transport system. Subway, underground rail, elevated expressway and other efficient modes of transportation are of paramount importance for city life, daily life and for frequent commuters. But the cost for a modern transport system must be rational and effective.

Ballooning and jagging up infrastructure estimates are not new in our country, so are their implementation periods. The government has to undertake projects after vigorous need assessment and capacity to bear the costs.