Dhaka Metro rail route to be extended to Tongi

[bluesky]

Metro rail route to be extended to Tongi

Dhaka will have a people-friendly public transportation system by 2030, says an official

www.dhakatribune.com

Metro rail route to be extended to Tongi
Dhaka will have a people-friendly public transportation system by 2030, says an official

File Photo of Dhaka Metro Rail Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Desk
Published: April 28, 2023 9:12 PM | Last updated: April 29, 2023 1:25 AM

The metro rail service from Uttara's Diabari is going to be extended to Tongi in order to ease transportation in Dhaka, according to an official from the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD).

“The MRT Line-6 will be extended up to Motijheel by November. The work on extending Line 2 and Line 6 from Diabari to Tongi is yet to be completed. Japan will provide further cooperation,” RTHD Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, who is accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her visit to Japan, said on Friday.

He further said that the work on the metro rail from Motijheel to Kamalapur Railway Station would be completed by 2026, and the construction from Diabari to Tongi would begin after that.
The official added that Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has expressed interest in constructing the other lines and an agreement has been signed with them.

“The Dhaka metro rail project was initiated by the prime minister so that the Dhaka citizens can have improved public transportation. She inaugurated the MRT Line-6 and directed that Dhaka should have a people-friendly public transportation system by 2030,” the official added.

Nuri mentioned that many organizations are interested in the remaining MRT lines, saying: "Everyone is showing interest now. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Korea and the World Bank are also expressing interest."

Earlier in April, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader expressed hope that the metro rail's Agragaon-Motijheel section would open for traffic in November.
"The work on metro rail is progressing fast and is nearing completion... We will be able to complete the work of MRT Line-6 this year," the minister said.

The MRT Line-6 is being built at a total cost of Tk33,471.99 crore. The project cost was increased to over Tk33 crore in a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in July last year as the length of the metro rail had been extended by 1.16 km.

Over one million people used the metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon in the first three months of operation, earning its authorities about Tk6.2 crore in revenue. The service also drew massive crowds during the recent Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

The metro rail stayed operational during the Eid holidays and even on Eid day.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the Uttara-Agargaon section of the metro rail on December 28 last year.

The news above will certainly make @ThunderCat happy to have a glimpse of the ongoing physical infrastructure development in BD.

@nahtanbob

 

[CallSignMaverick]

Metro rail route to be extended to Tongi

Dhaka will have a people-friendly public transportation system by 2030, says an official

www.dhakatribune.com

Metro rail route to be extended to Tongi
Dhaka will have a people-friendly public transportation system by 2030, says an official

File Photo of Dhaka Metro Rail Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Desk
Published: April 28, 2023 9:12 PM | Last updated: April 29, 2023 1:25 AM

The metro rail service from Uttara's Diabari is going to be extended to Tongi in order to ease transportation in Dhaka, according to an official from the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD).

“The MRT Line-6 will be extended up to Motijheel by November. The work on extending Line 2 and Line 6 from Diabari to Tongi is yet to be completed. Japan will provide further cooperation,” RTHD Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, who is accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her visit to Japan, said on Friday.

He further said that the work on the metro rail from Motijheel to Kamalapur Railway Station would be completed by 2026, and the construction from Diabari to Tongi would begin after that.
The official added that Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has expressed interest in constructing the other lines and an agreement has been signed with them.

“The Dhaka metro rail project was initiated by the prime minister so that the Dhaka citizens can have improved public transportation. She inaugurated the MRT Line-6 and directed that Dhaka should have a people-friendly public transportation system by 2030,” the official added.

Nuri mentioned that many organizations are interested in the remaining MRT lines, saying: "Everyone is showing interest now. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Korea and the World Bank are also expressing interest."

Earlier in April, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader expressed hope that the metro rail's Agragaon-Motijheel section would open for traffic in November.
"The work on metro rail is progressing fast and is nearing completion... We will be able to complete the work of MRT Line-6 this year," the minister said.

The MRT Line-6 is being built at a total cost of Tk33,471.99 crore. The project cost was increased to over Tk33 crore in a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in July last year as the length of the metro rail had been extended by 1.16 km.

Over one million people used the metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon in the first three months of operation, earning its authorities about Tk6.2 crore in revenue. The service also drew massive crowds during the recent Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

The metro rail stayed operational during the Eid holidays and even on Eid day.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the Uttara-Agargaon section of the metro rail on December 28 last year.

The news above will certainly make @ThunderCat happy to have a glimpse of the ongoing physical infrastructure development in BD.

@nahtanbob

Given high density of population, there is solid usecase for monorails in Tier-2 cities in Bangladesh.

 

[Bilal9]

Given high density of population, there is solid usecase for monorails in Tier-2 cities in Bangladesh.

NO.

 

[bluesky]

Given high density of population, there is solid usecase for monorails in Tier-2 cities in Bangladesh.

Tongi is an industrial town in the north of Dhaka. Its population is around 350,000. Many people move in between Dhaka areas and Tongi. So, the Authority has decided to link Tongi with Uttara and other stations.

However, many other nearby areas though dense have little industrial activities and are not ripe for investment in rail transportation. The money will not be returned.

For now, BD needs a city railway only in Chittagong and the govt is going ahead with it. South Korea wants to invest in this one or two lines. But, China is trying to dislodge South Korea with colored offers.

Nothing has been finalized yet. But, there will be a railway system in Chittagong City that will connect Patenga industrial zone.

 

[bluesky]

I very much hope, the great thinker @ThunderCat will like this video and love Dhaka.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

Agargaon-Motijhil section will be opened for public at the last week of October or November 2023.
It was supposed to be open by December, but works are progressing faster than earlier estimate.

 

[Bilal9]

View attachment 927321

Tongi is an industrial town in the north of Dhaka. Its population is around 350,000. Many people move in between Dhaka areas and Tongi. So, the Authority has decided to link Tongi with Uttara and other stations.

However, many other nearby areas though dense have little industrial activities and are not ripe for investment in rail transportation. The money will not be returned.

For now, BD needs a city railway only in Chittagong and the govt is going ahead with it. South Korea wants to invest in this one or two lines. But, China is trying to dislodge South Korea with colored offers.

Nothing has been finalized yet. But, there will be a railway system in Chittagong City that will connect Patenga industrial zone.

Monorail is a bad idea for any city, especially those that wish to carry the volume of people industrial sections of Dhaka (like Tongi) will handle. Plus the existing rolling stock for Dhaka Metro Line 1 and Line 6 will be going to Tongi, which is classic Metro reliable infra (Kawasaki made), like in most Tokyo City suburban lines. They will need to operate 24/7 at some point (though not now). Metro schedule at night will be probably every hour or so, like in most larger cities.

Monorail infra is expensive, is not geared for high traffic volume with high speed - with stations placed more than half a mile apart (like in Dhaka's case). Monorail or suspended Metro infra equipment is OK in more affluent parts of cities where businesspeople use them to travel stations placed closely apart, like in KL, Tokyo and Mumbai. Monorails are showcase projects in my opinion.

I appreciate and agree with your thoughts on Chittagong City Rail, time for Metro has not come with the volume of commuters there.

 

[Bilal9]

Latest iteration of the Line 6 and Line 1 which will connect with Tongi (purple and red dotted lines going north in the middle below), then onto Gazipur at some point in time.

Some reports are erroneously mentioning Line 2 which is a completely different Metro Line planned to connect other areas of Dhaka, and not Tongi.

 

[Chute]

Monorail is a bad idea for any city, especially those that wish to carry the volume of people industrial sections of Dhaka (like Tongi) will handle. Plus the existing rolling stock for Dhaka Metro Line 1 and Line 6 will be going to Tongi, which is classic Metro reliable infra (Kawasaki made), like in most Tokyo City suburban lines. They will need to operate 24/7 at some point (though not now). Metro schedule at night will be probably every hour or so, like in most larger cities.

Monorail infra is expensive, is not geared for high traffic volume with high speed - with stations placed more than half a mile apart (like in Dhaka's case). Monorail or suspended Metro infra equipment is OK in more affluent parts of cities where businesspeople use them to travel stations placed closely apart, like in KL, Tokyo and Mumbai. Monorails are showcase projects in my opinion.

I appreciate and agree with your thoughts on Chittagong City Rail, time for Metro has not come with the volume of commuters there.

100% agreed. Monorail costs way too much for the capacity it is able to deliver.

There are tons of things for BD to sort out first in priority in urban transportation before Monorail can even start to be considered.

We need substantial improvement in metro, commuter rail and public bus network. Simply we need to look at what has worked in the best largest cities of world in their comprehensive inside-out approach over time...and adopt it to our needs.

 

[bluesky]

We need substantial improvement in metro, commuter rail and public bus network. Simply we need to look at what has worked in the best largest cities of world in their comprehensive inside-out approach over time...and adopt it to our needs.

An efficient public bus network is needed to supplement the metro rail network services. So far, I have not read any news about how the authorities would build the network.

In another news unrelated to metro rail, I have read the GoB or Municipal govt failed to stop the rat race of buses owned by many individual companies that run along the same route. The buses compete for catching passengers and cause inconvenience and accidents.

I wish related Japanese companies are asked to survey the roads and rly stations and build up routes around these stations. BD people have little idea what this network may be, but I can attest that the Japanese have the perfect knowledge.

 

[mb444]

100% agreed. Monorail costs way too much for the capacity it is able to deliver.

There are tons of things for BD to sort out first in priority in urban transportation before Monorail can even start to be considered.

We need substantial improvement in metro, commuter rail and public bus network. Simply we need to look at what has worked in the best largest cities of world in their comprehensive inside-out approach over time...and adopt it to our needs.

Agree with you. We need to get maximum bang for our bucks and this requires a mix of solutions.

Its great that metro has opened in dhaka. Elsewhere we need to upgrade and expand existing infrastructure be it rail, bus etc before putting in altogether new solutions.

 

[从八品主簿]

View attachment 927321

Tongi is an industrial town in the north of Dhaka. Its population is around 350,000. Many people move in between Dhaka areas and Tongi. So, the Authority has decided to link Tongi with Uttara and other stations.

However, many other nearby areas though dense have little industrial activities and are not ripe for investment in rail transportation. The money will not be returned.

For now, BD needs a city railway only in Chittagong and the govt is going ahead with it. South Korea wants to invest in this one or two lines. But, China is trying to dislodge South Korea with colored offers.

Nothing has been finalized yet. But, there will be a railway system in Chittagong City that will connect Patenga industrial zone.

Planning to use a monorail system?

 

[bluesky]

Planning to use a monorail system?

I have not heard of a monorail planned in any town or city in Bangladesh.

Here, in Tokyo, there is one that travels between Haneda Airport and Hamamatsucho Station (浜松町駅). There could be other lines that I am not aware of.

 

[Edevelop]

Why didn't Dhaka chose third rail? Overhead lines look ugly.

 

[Bilal9]

Planning to use a monorail system?

There are no plans in Bangladesh currently.

Why didn't Dhaka chose third rail? Overhead lines look ugly.

Overhead lines and pantograph system is safer (actually, more expensive to put up and maintain). Since this is what is used in Japan, this is what they suggested for Line 6 and was agreed to and implemented in Dhaka because it is mostly a viaduct line. Ugly is right but I guess beauty was not a first consideration here.

The next line to be built (Line 1) will probably use third rail because it will travel in a tunnel underground for most of the line's length.

In Western countries and also Japan, some lines use both overhead pantograph and third-line power take-up. But pantograph usually only on surface lines, not in tunnels.