Dhaka’s rail, roads need $3.5bn: study

DHAKA: Dhaka needs 3.52 billion dollars spent on new roads and railways to prepare to meet travel needs by 2024, a World Bank-financed study said. “Dhaka will have a population of about 36 million by 2024 and it will need an estimated 3.52 billion dollars to ensure a smooth traffic system for its inhabitants,” the Strategic Transport Plan said.

“The number of vehicles moving in the city during peak hours will treble to 300,000 in two decades and the number of people on the move will be around 750,000,” a study author, Mohammad Rahamatullah, said.

Dhaka, with a population of 12 million now, is already one of the world’s most congested cities. It took 37 years for its population to grow from one million to eight million. But the population is forecast to rise within a decade to 22.8 million to become the world’s second largest city, according to a UN Habitat report.

The study authors said unless the government builds more roads, flyovers, underground or elevated railways and expressways, the city will become virtually unfit for living.

According to the study, Dhaka will need a dual track commuter train to link it with its suburbs, an underground or elevated railway for commuting within the city and an immediate high speed bus service on dedicated roads.—AFP