Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
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In My View

Dhaka Metro will turn Dhaka into a faster, modern city

Published : Friday, 6 January, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 610
Syed Badiuzzaman
Bangladesh rang in the New Year on a happier note for an extraordinary achievement in the transportation system in the capital city. Dhaka Metro which was only a dream about a decade ago to Bangladeshis is now a glaring reality. The metro rail, a hallmark of every modern city in the world, has started operating also in the capital of Bangladesh.

And the nation now joins 60 other countries in the world and becomes the third country in South Asia after India and Pakistan to have the high-speed urban rail used mostly by the daily commuters. The residents of not just Dhaka metropolis but people from all over Bangladesh burst into jubilation as the metro rail began rolling through the city for commercial services following an inaugural ceremony on December 28.

It was, indeed, a great moment for Bangladesh -- a moment of pride. So, Bangladeshis everywhere were happy to celebrate the occasion. Social media also reacted with joy! Many Bangladeshis posted pictures of the moving train on an elevated Line 6 of the rapid transit system on Facebook. After posting an image of the interior of the train with passengers sitting and standing inside, one user of the social media commented: �I do not see any difference now between Dhaka and London.�

He was not entirely wrong. Many Bangladeshis who frequently travel abroad had the same feeling as if they were traveling in Paris or London or Sydney or Toronto during their first ride on metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon. �It was an amazing feeling. Truly I felt like I was traveling in a foreign country,� said one Bangladeshi who enjoyed his ride on metro rail in Dhaka in his status on the social media. �It was incredible. I could not believe I was riding a metro rail in our own Dhaka. I am truly proud of my country,� said another Bangladeshi.  

A couple of days ago, I watched a video someone posted on YouTube on the metro rail in Dhaka. He deserves my thanks for a professional-grade job showing virtually everything of the just-launched rapid transit system. A short video of only few minutes began showing the line-up of enthusiastic crowd outside the Uttara station, then the ticket purchasing system and the entire interior of the newly constructed building, then his boarding the just-arrived metro train and traveling with happy passengers and finally his getting off the metro at Agargaon station. His entire travel clocked just 14 minutes.

What a relief! The metro rail has cut the travel time from Uttara to Agargaon in the traffic-congested capital city of Bangladesh by more than two hours. A bus trip or even a travel by private car from Uttara to Agargaon which I personally experienced many times during my stay in Dhaka from 2012 to 2015 usually takes from two to two and a half hours. However, it may take even a longer time at the height of the rush-hour traffic usually from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, the typical work week in Bangladesh.

Even though the metro rail will take a little more time to commute from Uttara to Agargaon after construction of all stations of the rapid transit system, it will significantly cut down the travel time of the daily commuters. They will be able to save at least five to six hours to and from their work and businesses daily and spend the extra time with their family and do other things in their personal and social life. The inauguration of Line 6 of the rapid transit system from Uttara to Agargaon is just the beginning. It will take few more years for the Dhaka Metro to be fully operational.

By 2030 when the construction of all six lines of the metro rail will be completed, the entire capital city of Bangladesh will come under a network of rapid transit system. Home to 8.9 million residents, Dhaka will then be a much faster and modern city in South Asia. And as the capital city of Bangladesh is much smaller compared to Lahore, Delhi and even Mumbai, it will not take more than 30 or 35 minutes for commuters to reach even their farthest destinations by Dhaka Metro. Once fully operational, the metro system will greatly ease the long-standing traffic congestion of Dhaka and provide much relief to the city residents.

However, the management authority of the metro system will face an uphill battle to maintain it in a proper manner. It will be a big challenge to keep the metro stations and trains nice and clean all the time. Frankly speaking, we are not very favorably known to keep things clean in Bangladesh. For example, there is an underpass on a busy street in the Kawran Bazar area in downtown Dhaka which turns out to be a place for public urination during the nighttime. And this is just one example of many other similar places right in the heart of the capital city of Bangladesh.

So, in addition to a big budget plan for the maintenance of the Dhaka Metro, the authority must also launch an effective public awareness campaign through a variety of ways for keeping the metro system nice and clean. Commuters� cooperation will be the key to the proper maintenance of the Dhaka Metro � especially the metro stations and the trains. Dhaka residents must understand that the metro rail being built at a cost of billions of dollars belongs to the people -- not to any government or political party. It is being built with their money and thus it is their responsibility to maintain it nicely -- just the way they maintain their own home.  

When Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took a ride on the brand new metro rail in Dhaka shortly after she inaugurated the most ambitious urban transportation network, it was another moon moment for Bangladesh. The first one was the opening ceremony of the Padma Bridge. Once no one thought that humans would ever be able to go to the moon and walk there but the youngest president of America John F. Kennedy visualized it. And as he predicted, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to set their feet on the surface of the moon and walk there in 1969 stunning the whole world.

No one in Bangladesh ever thought that they would see a bridge over the vast Padma River in their lifetime. Similarly, many of us never thought that we would ever see a rapid transit system styled Dhaka Metro paralleling the metro systems in Paris, Sydney, Cairo, Dubai and many other cities around the world. But with her extraordinary courage, the spirit of self-reliance, determination, patriotism and leadership, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made both not simply possible but shining realities. The Padma Bridge is completed and the Dhaka Metro has started rolling for commercial services even though it will take few more years to be fully operational.

After the Padma Bridge, the metro rail is the second biggest infrastructural accomplishment of Bangladesh under the watch of Sheikh Hasina. No other president or prime minister of the country could even ever think of taking up this kind of mega projects. The Padma Bridge and the Dhaka Metro have elevated the dignity of Bangladesh as an economic powerhouse and a self-respecting nation in the world. We must give credit to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her role in  materializing both dream projects that have revolutionized the communication and transportation systems in Bangladesh.

The metro rail has also showcased the bravery and advancement of Bangladeshi young women. The finest example is Mariam Afiza who holds a master�s degree in chemistry from a Bangladesh university of science and technology. It was Afiza who was in the driver�s seat of the metro rail operating its first trip from Uttara to Agargaon. And her first passenger was none other than the prime minister of Bangladesh. In addition to Afiza, five other young women of the country have also been recruited and trained by the authority for operating metro rail. Hats off to all of them!


-    The writer is a Toronto-based journalist who also writes for the Toronto Sun as a guest columnist













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