Tk 4,268cr BRT project stalls after spending Tk 3,000cr

Designed to provide faster and more reliable public transport through dedicated lanes, the project has remained incomplete despite more than a decade of repeated revisions to its cost and scope.

The government is now considering whether to revive BRT services, convert the existing corridor into a conventional road or develop the facility as a toll road.

At the same time, the state-owned company established to implement the project is seeking a new role in the transport sector.

The Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit PLC (DBRTPLC) has approached the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), seeking responsibility for the proposed ‘BusNet’, a specialised entity intended to bring Dhaka’s fragmented bus services under an integrated management system.

The BRT project was approved in 2012 to establish a rapid public transport link between the airport and Gazipur. The original implementation period was four years, with dedicated lanes, stations and specialised buses planned along the corridor.

However, the project dragged on for more than a decade.

According to project sources, the initial estimated cost was Tk 2,040 crore. Following several revisions, the approved cost rose to Tk 4,268 crore, more than double the original estimate. Nearly Tk 3,000 crore had been spent before implementation was halted.

The project includes 25 stations and dedicated BRT lanes or corridors. Although its official tenure expired in December 2024, several components remained incomplete.

The prolonged implementation and sharp increase in cost have raised questions about project planning, management and the future use of infrastructure built with public money.

Following the fall of the Awami League government during the July mass uprising, the then interim government decided to close the BRT project. The corridor was subsequently opened to general traffic.

The decision, however, did not settle how the existing BRT infrastructure should be used.

The Road Transport and Highways Division has recently sought expert opinions on the BRT's design, station management, operational structure and passenger services. Professors from two departments of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) were consulted as part of the review.

One group of experts recommended restarting BRT services and retaining the corridor as a dedicated public transport route. Another suggested dismantling the BRT stations and converting the corridor into a conventional road.

A third option, turning the corridor into a toll road, is also under consideration.

The ministry is preparing a summary of the recommendations for presentation to the Cabinet. A final decision will be taken after the alternatives are examined.

The review has also raised broader questions about the project's future. If BRT services are revived, how much additional investment will be required? If the project is abandoned, what will happen to the infrastructure already built? And if the corridor is redesigned, how much more public money will be needed?
Meanwhile, uncertainty over the BRT project has created questions about the future of DBRTPLC, which was established specifically to implement the scheme.

As part of efforts to explore alternative activities, its Managing Director, Md Nurul Amin Khan, sent a letter to the DTCA executive director on August 12, proposing that DBRTPLC be assigned responsibility for the proposed BusNet.

The company argues that a new organisation may not be necessary when an existing government-owned entity already has relevant experience and institutional capacity.

"We are exploring opportunities in transport-related businesses as a company," Nurul Amin Khan told the Daily Observer.

"The future of the BRT project has not yet been finalised. Apart from BusNet, we have submitted proposals on several other issues to DTCA. Detailed discussions have yet to take place. We will proceed according to the government's decision after discussions and analysis," he said.

The updated Dhaka Revised Strategic Transport Plan recommends establishing BusNet to reform the management and business structure of the city's bus transport system.

The proposed entity would enter into agreements with bus operators, collect fares electronically, monitor operators and distribute revenues through a clearing house. It would also oversee bus infrastructure development, integrated service planning and marketing.

Under the proposed model, individual operators would continue running buses, while the central organisation would manage contracts, fare collection, revenue settlement and service monitoring.

The system is intended to replace Dhaka's fragmented bus operation, where numerous owners and companies operate independently, with a coordinated management structure.

DBRTPLC believes its experience in implementing the BRT project makes it capable of taking responsibility for BusNet. The company has experience in bus procurement, operator recruitment, international tendering, consultancy procurement and coordination with development partners.

It has also worked with intelligent transport systems, automated fare collection, e-ticketing, depot preparation and management, operational and business planning, and security planning.

BUET Professor of Urban and Regional Planning Mosleh Uddin Hasan believes the company could be given a broader mandate.

"The BRT company could be transformed into a 'Bangladesh BRT Company'," he said, adding that it could assess the feasibility of BRT in different cities and implement new projects.