Experts Call for Integrated Transport Investment Beyond Dhaka Metro Rail

The Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) has called for sustainable investment in an integrated modern transport network, improved bus routes, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and high-speed commuter rail in Dhaka, rather than treating the costly, technology-intensive metro rail system as the city’s sole public transport solution.

September 18, 2026 (Friday): Speakers made the call at an online discussion titled “Rising Metro Rail Costs and Fairness in Planning.” The organization emphasized the need to ensure open competition, disclosure of information, and institutional accountability to reduce excessive spending on metro rail infrastructure and the burden of massive foreign loans.

In the keynote paper, IPD Executive Director Professor Adil Muhammad Khan said the one-sided focus on metro rail and its rising costs are trapping Dhaka in a single-mode transport planning approach. Although the 2005 Strategic Transport Plan emphasized buses, BRT, and pedestrian-friendly facilities, these areas did not receive adequate investment. The initial plan proposed three metro rail lines covering 60 kilometers, while the revised plan proposed six metro rail lines spanning more than 140 kilometers.

IPD said the MRT-5 South project, funded by the Asian Development Bank and South Korea, has an estimated cost of around Tk 2,645 crore per kilometer. Meanwhile, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded MRT-1 has an estimated cost of around Tk 3,661 crore per kilometer, while the MRT-5 North project is estimated at around Tk 4,492 crore per kilometer. This wide variation highlights the need for open competition and international competitive bidding.

Transport planning expert Muntassir Mamun said that metro rail has limited capacity compared with overall travel demand, making the rapid modernization of bus and rail systems essential for the vast majority of commuters. Dr. Mohammad Ariful Islam, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, called for an independent assessment of whether the approved costs are justified, along with competitive tendering. IPD Research Fellow K. M. Asif Iqbal Akash stressed the need for institutional accountability over repeated cost increases.

Speakers recommended introducing high-speed commuter trains on the Kamalapur–Airport–Joydebpur route and bringing Dhaka’s bus services under a franchise structure, with dedicated bus lanes on major roads. They also called for connecting metro rail stations with sidewalks, cycle lanes, and pedestrian links, strengthening the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority as a single regulatory body, and making it mandatory to disclose the 20- to 30-year life-cycle costs of any mega project.

//DBTech/BMO/MIS//OR//