Staff Correspondent
The government will float international tender on January 31 for the construction of the Metro Rail aiming to ease the city's nagging traffic congestion and provide fast public transportation.
At the same time, the government is planning to construct a 'Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)' route connecting Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Gazipur. The construction works of the route would start by December this year, said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.
The Minister on Tuesday disclosed this at a press conference held at the Ministry conference room.
Obaidul said, "In all, eight tenders relating to procure the rolling stocks -- the equipment for automotive vehicles, locomotives and railroad cars -- will be floated within this year."
The physical work on the Metro Rail Project, covering Uttara 3rd phase to Motijheel commercial area in the capital, will be launched in December this year, said the Minister.
He said the tender for physical works on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project with its main corridor and Tongi Bridge Flyover will be floated in July and the construction works will start this year.
Under the BRT project, the Minister said, 140 buses, carrying 40,000 passengers per hour from both sides, will run through 25 earmarked stations on way to Motijheel from Gazipur in 40 minutes.
The BRT project, connecting Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), will be completed by November 2017 and the bus service will start the following month in December, Obaidul said.
He also added that the BRT Project cost along with foreign financing stands at Tk 2,039.85 crore. Of the amount, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), French donor AFD and Global Environment Facility (GEF) provided Tk 1,650.70 crore while the government of Bangladesh allocated Tk 389.15 crore.
The project would be implemented under the supervision of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).
According to the project plan, a 20km BRT corridor, 4km elevated road, 141 link roads, 12km storm drainage, 8-lane Tongi Bridge and six flyovers would be constructed. Besides, development of 10 markets, which would be affected, will also be done under the project.
The six flyovers would be constructed at Airport, Jasimuddin Road in Uttara, Kunia, Islamic University of Technology, Vogra and Jaydevpur area. A bus depot at Gazipur and two bus terminals at Jaydevpur and Airport area would also be constructed.
The land acquisition process for the project would be completed by February this year.