MRT policy and city sustainability are inextricably linked. In the era of globalization, city authorities recognize the need for their city to compete in the global marketplace, and MRT is seen to be part of the ‘package’ to attract investment. The effectiveness of MRT will influence the city’s future. For a rapidly growing city like Dhaka, MRT decisions will undoubtedly be a great strategic approach. But the burning question for decision-makers is how to balance the sometimes conflicting objectives of poverty alleviation and controlling congestion with its associated pollution and safety costs within the means of government budgets. Large cities in developing world are centers of economic growth and magnets for poor people from the countryside. That is why, a research is urgent required to identify the deficiencies of existing mass transit system and to find out alternative options for solving the problems to improve the transport situation in Dhaka Metropolitan. So the development of MRT systems should be carried out in a favorable condition within the context of a city development plan and transport strategy.

1. Alimuzzaman Bappy
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.Introduction:
Transport system is the inseparable part of any City. Choices on public
transit options are bottom-line decisions about future growth and development of city. An
efficient transportation system increases accessibility and improves quality of life by
thousand times. As the growth of population is increasing day by day, number of vehicles is also
increasing but not the area of roads. The impact of such rapid growth is disabling to provide
mobility for all people as they seek to take advantage of employment, education, health and
social opportunities.
Dhaka is one of the least motorized cities in the world, but its traffic congestion is the most
common scene in our daily life. The transport sector in Dhaka, which comprised of many
different modes of travel, both Motorized and non-motorized, often using the same road space,
which results a high level of Operational disorder and it diminishes the efficiency of existing
Transport system.
‘Mass Rapid Transit’ (MRT) is a term used to describe modes of urban public transport (both
road and rail based) that carry large volumes of passengers quickly. It comprises a spectrum of
modes of urban public transport that use specific fixed-track or exclusive and separated use of a
potentially common-user road track. The role and form of MRT of course depends upon the city
context, its size, income level, asset base, institutions, existing transport systems and other
cultural and behavioral factors and attitudes.
MRT policy and city sustainability are inextricably linked. In the era of globalization, city
authorities recognize the need for their city to compete in the global marketplace, and MRT is
seen to be part of the ‘package’ to attract investment. The effectiveness of MRT will influence
the city’s future. For a rapidly growing city like Dhaka, MRT decisions will undoubtedly be a
great strategic approach. But the burning question for decision-makers is how to balance the
sometimes conflicting objectives of poverty alleviation and controlling congestion with its
associated pollution and safety costs within the means of government budgets. Large cities in
developing world are centers of economic growth and magnets for poor people from the
countryside. That is why, a research is urgent required to identify the deficiencies of existing
mass transit system and to find out alternative options for solving the problems to improve the
transport situation in Dhaka Metropolitan. So the development of MRT systems should be
carried out in a favorable condition within the context of a city development plan and transport
strategy.
.Outline of TransportSystem of Dhaka:
The Mega City Dhaka has a major role to play in the
socioeconomic development of the country as it is the administrative and commercial
capital of Bangladesh. But the existing transportation system is a major hinder for the
development of the city. Unplanned urbanization, especially poor transportation planning and
lower land utilization efficiency, has turned the city into a dangerous urban jungle. Dhaka has
recently received the dubious distinction of being the second dirtiest city in the world (Forbes,
208). Traffic congestion in the capital continues to worsen with vehicles emitting fatal amounts
of air pollutants daily, including lead. Although Dhaka’s area is less than 1% of the country’s
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2. Alimuzzaman Bappy
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total land area, it supports about 10% of the total population and 30% of the total urban
population. Dhaka City is presently one of the 10
th
largest Mega-cities of the world with a
population of about 14.0 million having the highest annual growth rate and expected to be the
second largest city of the world with a population of 22.8 million by 2015 (UNFPA, 2001).
2.1. Modes of transport in Dhaka city:
Modes of transport in Dhaka are dominated by non-motorized vehicle like rickshaw
van etc. There are small numbers of mini bus services for public transport but it is heavily
crowed. There is no inter-rail system in Dhaka metro. The water transport is also remaining as a
lazy bump. Human hauler are talking place against buses. As no new bus service is introduced
the suffering of public is increasing day by day. Rickshaw as a slow mode of transport is also
blocking the speed. The mono rail is yet to be proposed for betterment of traffic situation of
Dhaka city. Existing mode of transport are described below –
2.1.1. Rickshaws:
Rickshaw is a manually operated three wheeled vehicles, giving door to door services to
the passengers. The rickshaws normal carrying capacity is two passengers. One of the main
causes of Dhaka’s traffic jam is the unrestricted plying of rickshaws particularly on the main
transport corridors. DCC (Dhaka City Corporation) limits the number of license issued to
rickshaw owners to some 87,000. However, unofficial estimate claimed that the number of
rickshaw playing in Dhaka is about 500,000.
2.1.2. Auto rickshaws:
The auto rickshaws are three wheeled mechanically operated vehicles, whose body is
generally manufactured locally but the chassis along with the engine is imported from foreign
countries. The auto rickshaws carrying capacity is three persons at the back and the driver in the
front. The charge of auto rickshaw is 6 Tk/km and a minimum flat rate of Tk 18 (The Daily Star,
27 April 2008).
2.1.3. Buses:
Bus services in Dhaka metro is not user friendly. There is few numbers government
powered bus service in Dhaka. Other private service is full of fraud. Most of the bus services are
sitting service but it’s not serving as public transit. Police requisitions make the scarcity of buses
more severe.
2.2. Roads and high ways in Dhaka city:
Dhaka has 1,868 kilometers of paved roads. It is connected to the other parts of
the country through strong highway and railway links. The transportation system of Dhaka
is mainly road based and non-motorized transportation has a substantial share. Dhaka’s road
network is nearly 3000 kms (of which 200 km primary, 110 km secondary, 50 km feeder and
2640 km narrow roads) with few alternative connector roads and it represents the proportion of
road surface to built-up area hardly 7% as against 25% recommended for a good city planning.
Only 400 kms footpath is available for pedestrian of which 40% are being occupied illegally by
vendors and others. There are no effective bi-cycle lanes and safe walkways even. Although 37-
km long rail-road passes through the heart of the city but it has little contribution to city’s
transport system due to policy constraints. Although the motorization level in Dhaka is till very
low comparing to similar sized cities of the world, the rate of increase of various types of
vehicles in recent years is significant.

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Figure-1 shows the incremental growth of motorized vehicles in Dhaka city over time. More than
500,000 rickshaws ply on Dhaka’s roads (STP, 2005). There are around 100 open markets on the
streets and 3000 shopping malls beside the roads without adequate parking provisions. Most of
the signals are manually controlled and insufficient traffic policemen are to control the traffic.
2.3. Purposes of travel:
Travel is made for different purposes for different occupation. It is also depends on
time. Among the important purposes
(i) home-work 31%,
(ii) home-education 25%,
(iii) home-shopping and others 36%, and
(iv) Non-home based trips 8%.
It shows that less than one-third of trips are made for work or business and rest are for non-work
or other travels (STP survey, 2004).
2.4. Hot Spots:
There are certain places in Dhaka city where traffic congestion never ends. Such places
are Motijheel , Gulistan, Farmgate, Shahbag, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Mohakhali, Bannani. These
areas act like junction. So these areas road plan should be more innovative for better movement
of vehicle. More Fly-over, under passes and over bridge is needed in these areas.
2.5. Road space occupied for different mode of transport:
Among the transportation modes, rickshaws dominate the traffic stream particularly in the
inner areas of the city. Road space occupied by rickshaws is 73%, and by cars, buses and tempo
is 19.7%, 4.4%, and 0.4% respectively. According to the DITS survey report, among the modes,
car occupies the highest space for carrying a person which is 75.8%. Rickshaw occupies 21.9%,
Baby taxi 17.9%, bus 8.7% and tempo 5% (STP 2004).

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. Introduction to MRT:
Traffic & transportation are one of the most illuminated issues in present
days. The overall development of modern metropolitan cities around the world in terms of
population, trade & commerce has increased the traffic tremendously over the years. This
situation arise the need of an efficient, economical, equitable & environmental friendly transport
system for achieving sustainable city development which introduces the MRT system. Mass
Rapid Transit system is a mass transportation system which is owned & operated publicly but
sometimes privately, designed to move large number of people in various types of vehicles in
cites, suburbs, & large metropolitan areas. MRT system offers mobility to everyone by making
the transport system easier & smoother.
3.1. History:
The history of Mass Rapid Transit is intimately connected to industrialization,
urbanization, & the separation of residence from workplace. After the invention of steam engine
in 1763 the technology moves in a dramatic speed & progress was made in the field of
transportation. In 1828, the horse-drawn omnibus was first used in France which allowed as
many as 25-50 people to share a ride across urban street. In New York City, operators installed
rails in the streets in 1832 & in 1870 steam-hauled elevated railways was launched there.The first
MRT was the London Underground, which opened in 1863. The technology quickly spread to
other cities in Europe, & then to the US where a number of elevated systems were built. By
1920s buses are also started to run on the street to transport a mass people from one place to
another. In Asia,Mass Transit developed in 1853 to 1933. In 1987 the second oldest metro
system of South East Asia has opened in Singapore & it has provided transportation to 1.925
million people per day by 2009
3.2. MRT in use:
Mass rapid transit is used in cities & metropolitan areas to transport large numbers of
people of high frequency. Different MRT options are in use in different countries according to
the suitability of that MRT system on the perspective of that country. Now a days metro rails,
bus rapid transit or BRT, light rail transit or LRT, commuter rail are mainly in use in different
country as the form of MRT system. But among these options metro rail appeared more effective
& useful & now a day in general MRT refers to the metro rail system.
3.2.1. Metro rail: A metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban
area with a high capacity & frequency, & grade separation from other traffic which are typically
located in underground tunnels having faster & has a higher capacity than trams or light rail
unchallenged in its ability to transport large amounts of people quickly over short distances with
little l& used. Trains of metro rails are made up of multiple units of high capacity heavy cars &
this system of mass transit allows high frequency operations by advanced control system. The
biggest metro system in the world by length of routes & number of stations is the New York
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Subway, however by length the largest
are the London Underground & Shanghai
Metro. The busiest metro systems in the
world by daily & annual ridership are the
Tokyo Metro & Moscow Metro. Metro
system are also being developed or
expend in several developing cities in
around the world. The figure shown here
shows how the number of metro systems
worldwide increase over time.
3.2.2. LRT:LightRail Transitis one of the optionsof
MRT system& isa form of urban rail publictransportation
usingelectricrail cars.It operateseitheronitsownright-
of- wayor mixedwithothertrafficonstreets. Althoughit
transfersmasspeople swiftlybutitisstill notmore
efficientthanmetros,it’salesseffective MRToption.
3.2.3. BRT: Bus rapid transit or BRT is
a term applied to a variety of public transportation
system using buses to provide faster, more
efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Among
the MRT options BRT approaches the service
quality of rail transit with cost savings &
flexibility of bus transit. BRT uses buses on a
wide variety of rights-of-way, including mixed
traffic, dedicated lanes on surface subways .
3.3. Parameters for MRT:
The selection of the appropriate MRT with respect to the overall condition of a country
is more important to get the benefit of MRT system. Authorities should take decision considering
the main key parameters for MRT technology selection. Costs, speed, capacity, system image,
environmental concern, local conditions & personal preferences have played a role in the
decision-making process discussed below:
Figure 3: Light Rail Transit
Figure 4: Bus Rapid Transit System

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3.3.1. Cost:
The cost of infrastructure is an important factor for a proposed MRT system in a
developing country. According to SUTP (2008) the infrastructure cost for metro rail varies from
approximately US$15-30million/km for at graded system, US$30-75 million/km for elevated
system & US$60-180 million/km for underground system. In case of LRT infrastructure
investment falls between US$13 & 50 million per/km depending on whether the LRT will be
graded, elevated or underground. For BRT, the initial investment cost varies from US$0.5-15
million/km. Metro rail cars,LRT &BRT buses cost 1.2 ,1 &7 million US dollar each & last 50,45
& 10 years respectively. BRT buses need to be replaced 5 times in 50 years for a total cost of
US$3.5 million. Thus we can see that in long term investment metros are the best mass rapid
transit.
Figure 5: Comparison of Long Term MRT Infrastructure Costs
3.3.2. Capacity:
The ability to move large numbers of passengers is a basic requirement for mass rapid
transit systems particularly in developing cities & in this case metro rail system show unparallel
performance. Metro rail system can serve up to 81,000 passengers per hour per direction (Hong
Kong Subway). On the other h& LRT can carry up to 30,000 passengers per hour per direction
(Kuala Lampur). However, when compared with the metro rail system BRT system has slower
operational speed & less passenger capacity, varying from 10,000 (Ottawa Bus way) to 35,000
(Bogota Trans Milenio).
3.3.3. Average speed:
The capability of moving a large mass within shortest time is the basic need of a MRT
system. MRT should be chosen on the basis of the high speed capacity along with the cost.
Metro rail system has the highest speed among the MRT system; it can operate with the
maximum speed of 80 km/hr& minimum speed of 35km/hr. In case of LRT, it can run along
with the highest speed of 50 km/hr (Kuala Lampur) & lowest speed of 13-20km/hr (Tunis). On
the other hand the typical transit speeds of BRT systems range from 27-45 km/hr.
0
50
100
150
200
Average
Roadbed cost
per mile (Million
US$)
Refurbish cost
per 50 years
(Million US$)
Cost per mile
over 50 years
(Million US$)
Cost per mile
over 100 years
(Million US$)
Metro Rail
LRT
BRT

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. Deficiencies in The PresentTransportationSystem of Dhaka:
The rapid population growth together with the limited space available
for new transport infrastructure will further aggravate the heavy congestion in Dhaka.
Bangladesh already has one of the highest traffic fatality rates in the world. At present,
only 31% of daily trips made by mass transit where as this was only 22% in 1994 (DITS
1994).STP conducted a survey on Average trip length, travel time, speed and carrying capacity
of existing transportation system and got the following scenario.
Table 1: Average trip length, Travel time, Speed, Carrying capacity of existing mass
transit system.
Mode Average
route
length
Average
journey
time
(min)
Average
travel
speed
(km/hr)
Average
running
Speed
(km/hr)
Average
boarding
(passenger)
Pass-
load
At max.
point
Average
Stops
Mini bus 20.12 65.0 17.14 23.19 79.27 39.1 16.56
Large
bus
14.7 71.09 13.7 17.8 89.6 44.9 12.3
Double
Decker
17.81 56.83 17.22 23.45 100.76 83.71 13.67
School/
Staff bus
13.5 37.25 20.9 23.0 44.4 43.4 7.8
Auto -
Tempo
5.8 22.0 17.0 20.1 18.4 14.7 5.4
All mode 14.54 50.6 17.24 21.71 60.3 34.78 12.0
Source : STP Survey ,2004
There are many deficiencies in present mass transit system of Dhaka which hinder the general
mobility of the city, present of these deficiencies made the need of a MRT system much acute.
Some of the deficiencies present in the present Dhaka traffic are given below:
 The road in which at least one four wheeler motorized emergency vehicle like
Ambulance or Fire brigade vehicle can easily move is termed as accessible road. In
Dhaka city out of 1286 km road about 821 km of road is found to be accessible (if road
width is equal and more than 4.5 m) to motorized vehicles. Area wise, road and pavement
constituted 5.49 and 7.83 sq. km. respectively and road density per sq. km area is only
6.12. (RMMS. 2004)
 The transportation system of Dhaka is predominantly road based and non-motorized
transportation (mainly rickshaws) has a substantial share. The total road length of the
DCC area is 1286 km where as primary, secondary, connector, local and narrow roads are
61.348 km, 116.404 km, 219.543 km, 569.868 km, and 318.271km respectively.
Although 37-km long rail-road passes through the heart of the city but it has little
contribution to city’s transport system due to policy constraints.
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 In Dhaka metropolitan city there are many main roads that are ended at an inappropriate
location. For which the road loses its functionality, causes T-junction and thereby loses
continuity. Besides, there is not a single continuous main road in east-west direction. The
road, which are existing in this direction all are formed as a connecting road or link road.
Therefore, vehicle cannot move thoroughly in that direction. Absence of east-west
connection has become the major problem for the entire road network of Dhaka.
 As road network of Dhaka City evolved haphazardly without any plan and always to
meet short term travel need, the total road network does not show any well-defined
configuration. Instead, it is expanded eccentrically in the north-south direction and
allowing uncontrolled ribbon development. During last twenty to thirty years, significant
road development has been taken place to cope with sudden transformation of the city
from provincial town to the capital of a sovereign country. As a result, the road network
of the city is not organized and integrated in terms of connectivity. Many strategic links
are missing in the network and many areas have inadequate accessibility to it.
 There are about 1932 nos. of signal lights points all over the streets of Dhaka City.
The operational and maintenance cost of these lights is about 4 cores Taka. But this
huge cost goes almost in vein, because in most of the cases the lights are not
functioning now. The traffic police control the flow with the hands. In some cases
traffic signals are found to be obscured by hoarding, billboards, branches of trees etc.
Thus the influence of signal lights on traffic flow is almost nil (JBIC, 2000).
.Appropriate MRT for Dhaka:
The concerned authority has made many researches and selected
metro rail as the MRT option. The new Strategic Transport Plan (STP) 2004, Dhaka,
proposes a three-component transportation development schemes for the next twenty
5
Figure 6: Congestionoftraffic in Dhaka during rush hour

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years. These in capsulate form are 1) ROADS++ (+) (54 new roads projects), 2) BRT (Bus Rapid
Transit) (with 3 proposed lines) and a 3) METRO (3 lines Mass Rapid Transit) system
In case of launching metro lines Plus Fifteen lines can be considered. Plus fifteen is a term
generally used by planners and urban Designers to indicate a structure or physical element that
carries or connects traffic and or people 15 ft above grade, to allow at least double decker buses
or other vehicular transports to pass underneath. An elevated platform structure fifteen feet above
existing grade to carry the existing Bangladesh Railway lines and a new METRO Rail line from
Airport to Jatrabari through Kemal Ataturk, Mohakahali, Sonargaon, and Motijheel ( Kamlapur )
in Dhaka can be introduced. This is to grade separate the 19 road vehicular traffic intersections
from the Railway line and to install a proposed new Metro Rail Line within the city.
This figure is showing the key railway junctions
connecting the capital to the north and westbound
cities must be shifted to Joydevpur and Bhairav.
The southbound rail network has to be connected
from Narayanganj to Chandpur via Munshiganj.
The new light rail will connect Joydevpur and
Bhairav with Comilla via Tongi, Cantonment,
Banani, Tejgaon, Kamalapur, Narayanganj and
Munshiganj.
Figure 2 shows how an auto tempo route in
conjunction with a circular bus route can bring
an area of almost one square mile under such a
multimodal network. If such a network is
carefully planned, the need for rickshaws will
decrease and BRT can also be efficient along
with the Metro Rail
The benefits of the elevated Plus Fifteen lines are:
1) It grade separates it from all existing city roads for now and in future. No need to build
expensive flyovers like the one at Mohakhali in future.
Figure7: Metro transit rail as the basis of a
transport system for greater Dhaka region
Figure 8: Diagram showing a hierarchical system of metro
rail, bus and auto tempo routes

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2) It provides access to Bangladesh Railway to continue to use its main railway station in
Kamlapur, which also has an important container station. It also avoids the cost of acquiring a
new Right of Way through the eastern part of the City.
3) The underside of the elevated PLUS FIFTEEN structure can be used in many different ways,
from on grade roads, parking stations, shopping complexes, and other commercial and civic uses.
4) The cost savings from underground system and new land acquisition will make it the most
economically viable project.
5) The new Metro line will be capable of moving up to 60,000 passengers each way per hour and
move at average of 40 to 50 km per hour uninterrupted. Buses now move no more than 10,000
passengers per hour at 10 to 13 km per hour in the city. Even the proposed new STP Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) system on dedicated lanes will not move more than 15,000 passengers per hour.
The BRT will also reduce road capacity for other kinds of traffic by 30% to 50 % since it will
take away in of the existing lanes on the roadway.
So the Metro Rail using the Plus Fifteen line could be the best system for moving large volumes
of traffic/ passengers per hour. It will also be the fastest system
. Applicability of MRT in Dhaka:
 Budget: Applying MRT , Budget is the main concern . our annual budget is 22
billion USD but to apply a 150 Kilo meter MRT it cost 17 Billion USD.
 Scarcity of land: Dhaka city is one of the most congested city in the
world. Scarcity of land is the one of the biggest obstacle in
Constructing MRT.
 Unplanned Dhaka: Constructing MRT requires a good city plan but
Dhaka lacks it. To apply MRT, Dhaka should be re planed.
 Subway flooded in monsoon: The sewerage system of Dhaka city is one
of the worst in the world. So Subway can be flooded with water in
monsoon.
 Power crisis: MRT consumes a lot of power. To develop MRT system we should
solve power crisis first.
 Maintenance: Maintenance is a big issue regarding MRT. Lack of
skilled people can cause maintenance problem.
 Political unrest: Political unrest hampers the progress of MRT. MRT
should be free from any political conflict.
 Corruption: Corruption is also a hand behind the low progress of
MRT. Without corruption the Construction speed will increase.
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.Expert’s Opinion:
Opinion of BRTA chairman: The Chairman of BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport
Authority) Mr. Ayubur Rahman Khan has discussed about MRT with our team. He said
that, with the rapid growth of Dhaka city MRT is the only option left. But the budget of
constructing MRT is sky high relative to the budget of our country. MRT is only possible
by foreign aid.
Opinion of Additional executive director of DTCB: Dr. Saleh uddin , additional
executive Director of DTCB (Dhaka transport Control Board) said that MRT is a time
lengthy project. A big number of foreign aid is needed to run this project. However
without MRT the traffic congestion will get bad to worse. Skilled personal is also needed
to run such a big and sophisticated project.
. Conclusion:
Dhaka can never function either as a globally-positioned or a cosmopolitan
urban place without solving the transportation problem. Unless the transportation system
is organized, problems cannot be solved. For an organized transport system the need of
MRT is beyond question. If we take a glance at the present situation of inner and outer transport
system of Dhaka along with the problems regarding present rapid transit system, it can be surely
told that there is no alternate other than MRT for the solution. Both the city of Dhaka’s traffic
efficiency and the need of the mass people can be satisfied with the MRT system. But MRT can
also be the burden on municipal finance as launching of this system requires a huge and long
term investment. Now it is a question if a poor country like Bangladesh can afford such large
budget for MRT. However, if we ignore the financial problem then a plan for Dhaka is needed
which has to be regional in scope that links towns and centers in a hierarchic orbit of links and
connections made possible by multi-system transportation. Only a correct and appropriate plan
of MRT can be effective step towards the solution of transportation problem. Acceleration of the
mobility of the Dhaka city which is burdened with overgrown population is a great challenge. To
face and win this challenge a perfect Mass Rapid Transit system should be adopted within an
integral planning and financing structure ensuring system sustainability, effective coordination of
modes, and affordable provision for the poor. And then we can hope to have an easy, smooth,
comfortable and fast movement of the mass people which will accelerate the development of the
country.
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. Recommendations:
 Emphasize on the ‘Hot Spots’: The hot spots must be given emphasis while
applying MRT in those areas.
 Modification of existing rail routes: The rail routes should be either under
passed or over passed. They should be planned in such a way that they never cross
the roads and high ways.
 Ban on rickshaw: Rickshaw should be banned at some particular areas where
traffic jam is too acute.
 Proper use of the road space: The existing roads that are illegally occupied by
the hawkers and various temporary & mobile shops should be eradicated.
 Co-operative owner: Bus owners should co-operatively release buses at a
definite time interval.
 Water bus: The existing water bus system should be upgraded and made more
popular.
 Mono rail: Mono rail should be introduced side by side of other traffic system.
 Public awareness: Mass people must be made conscious about the traffic rules
and the punishments for the violations.
 Separate lanes on the basis of speed: The roads should be divided into lanes.
And provisions of strict punishment should be there for the lane breakers.
 Being realistic in fixing transit policies: Governments and city authorities
should be realistic in selecting the transit technology, focusing their
considerations on long-term actual needs, implementation and financial issues.
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Appendix
Public Opinion Regarding MRT: Questionnaire
Name: Age:
Occupation:
Please give your valuable answers of the following questions
Are you satisfied with the transport system of Dhaka today?
o Yes
o No
Do you have any idea about MRT?
o Yes
o No
Above which should be more efficient to reduce Traffic of Dhaka city?
o Fly over
o Water bus
o Sub way
o Others …………………….
Is MRT waste of a budget?
o Yes
o No
o No idea
What is the hindrance in applying MRT from your point of view?
o Lack of budget
o Political issue
o Unplanned Dhaka
o Scarcity of land
o Others …………………………………………
Which part of transport system should be developed?
o Railway
o Bus way
o Water way
Do you think Fly-over reducing Traffic congestion?
o Yes
o No
Should Rickshaw be banned from mode of transport of Dhaka city?
o Yes
o No
o Yes for some particular area
Should there be lane for bi-cycle?

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o Yes
o No
Any other option without MRT?
o Your answer here ………………………..
List of references:
“Future Mass Rapid Transit in Dhaka City: Options, Issues and Realities” by Md. Saidur
Rahman, Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Railway, presently under deputation pursuing higher
studies in Transportation Engineering at Hiroshima university, Japan
“Deficiencies of Existing Mass Transit System in Metropolitan Dhaka and Improvement
Options” by S.M. Sohel Mahmud, Research Assistant, ARI, BUET ; Dr. Md. Shamsul Haque,
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, BUET ; Golam Md. Muradul Bashir , Lecturer,
faculty of Computer Science Engineering, Patuakhali Science and Technology University,
Patuakhali
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=150973
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=10672
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=113928
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=106754
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=130004&date=2011-03-23
http://www.scribd.com/doc/45050040/Future-Mass-Rapid-Transit-in-Dhaka-City-Options-
Issues-and-Realities

15. Alimuzzaman Bappy
bappy.ce.buet@gmail.com Mass RapidTransit: AcceleratingDhakaTraffic
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Glossary:
 Bus Rapid Transit : Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a term applied to a variety of public
transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an
ordinary bus line.
 Hot Spot : Hot Spot is a commercially important place where traffic congestion is
so acute.
 Dhaka STP (2005) : It is the Strategic Transport Plan prepared for Dhaka City in
2005 by Louis Berger Group and Bangladesh Consultants.
 Grade Separation : Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of twor
more transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the
traffic flow on other transit route when they cross each other.
 Light Rail Transit : Light Rail or Light Rail Transit (LRT) is a form of urban rail
public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy
rail and metro rail systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional
street-running tram systems. The term is typically used to refer to light rail systems
with rapid transit.